The Pink Elephant

A completely clear night last night, but I was hoping the warm day temperature would encourage a bit of a hatch.  As it was, it was only just a little better than two days ago in numbers, but no garden ticks (is my trap loosing its mojoo?!).  Eight year ticks were all rather expected, although a Straw Dot was only my second garden record, and an Elephant Hawk-moth always puts a smile on my face.

19th June:
5 Heart and Dart
3 Minor sp.
2 Dark Arches
1 Clouded Border NFY
1 Buff-tip
1 Foxglove Pug NFY
1 Dagger sp.
1 Lesser Swallow Prominent
1 Common Rustic sp. NFY
1 Common Wave
1 Grey Pug NFY
1 Common White Wave
1 Peppered Moth
1 Elephant Hawk-moth NFY
1 Beautiful Golden Y
1 Mottled Beauty NFY
1 Straw Dot NFY
1 Flame Carpet NFY


Micros:
1 Celypha lacunana
1 Small Magpie
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Scorparia ambigualis
1 Lozotaenia forsterana
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Cherry Bark Moth

Elephant Hawk-moth

Dagger sp.

Foxglove Pug

Clouded Border

Pachyderms make it Haworth it at the Corner

I had a fascinating nights trapping at Newlands Corner last night. Paul Wheeler, the moth officer for the Surrey branch of Butterfly Conservation, was there to look for a group of micros that are currently unrecorded in Surrey, that feed on Knapweeds. No luck on that score, but I did get the opportunity to see what macros are at this lovely site. It didn't start well, as David Gardner got his car stuck! This meant he could not run his trap, so we had to make do with Paul's.
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The conditions were good with thick cloud cover, although it was a little cold. In the end the macro total of 71 is one of the best yet, and that was with only the one trap. I managed to spot five lifers, that included Bordered Sallow and Haworth's Pug. Nice to see only my second Small Elephant Hawks (2), alongside thier larger cousins (4).
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4th July, Newlands Corner (lifer = *):
Brown Scallop
Buff Ermine
Yellow Shell
Ghost Swift
Barred Yellow
Flame
Peach Blossom
Beautiful Hook-tip
Shoulder-striped Wainscot
Snout
V-Pug
Dunbar
Swallow-tail Moth
Brimstone
Light Arches
Small Fan-foot
Dark Umber*
Short-cloaked Moth
Dusky Brocade
Double-striped Pug
Haworth's Pug*
Buff Arches
Uncertain
Small Angle Shades
Reddish Light Arches
July Highflyer
Clouded Silver
Angle Shades
Rosy Footman
Blue-bordered Carpet*
Dark Arches
Clay
Pale Prominent
Smoky Wainscot
Flame Shoulder
Marbled Minor
Heart and Club
Light Emerald
Satin Beauty*
Bordered Sallow*
Elephant Hawk-moth
Small Elephant Hawk-moth
Yellow-tail
Treble Brown Spot
Mottled Beauty
Willow Beauty
Rosy Minor
Ruby Tiger
Burnished Brass
Green Pug
Dingy Footman
Straw Dot
Large Yellow Underwing
Marbled White Spot
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Footman
Scrace Footman
Small Fan-tooted Wave
Riband Wave
Beautiful Golden Y
Small Phoenix
Peppered Moth
Dagger sp.
Dot Moth
Engrailed
Sharp-angled Carpet
Heart and Dart
Lunar-spotted Pinion
Setaceous Hebrew Character
White Ermine
Clouded Brindle
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Agapate zoegana and Ruby Tiger


Blue-bordered Carpet

Small Elephant Hawk-moth

Elephant Hawk-moth (and Setaceous Hebrew Character!)

Dark Umber

Bordered Sallow

24th-26th June

It's been a good last few nights with some real stunners turning up in the trap, not least getting my second and third Hawkmoth species for the garden, Elephant and Lime respectfully...

My garden macro list for the year has increased to 67, and combined with the micros (that I have identified), my total garden moth list for the year is 87. Other new moths for the year over the period of 24th to 26th June were:

• Leopard Moth
• Blue-bordered Carpet
• Heart and Club
• Peppered Moth
• Marbled White Spot
• Common Carpet
• Barred Red
• Buff Ermine
• Foxglove Pug
• The Fan-Foot
• The Short-cloaked
• Common Footman
• Middle-barred Minor

Elephant Hawk-moth (a stunner)...

And a close up of that mouth watering colouring...

Lime Hawk-moth...

Leopard Moth...

Common Footman...

The Fan-Foot...

I'll never forget....

Yet another warm but clear night two days ago saw numbers stay the same, but quality take a further step up. Amongst the 41 moths of 24 species was an amazing three new ones for the garden, as well as other great records.

Besides catching two more Satin Lutestrings, I got a Mottled Rustic, a wandering Broom Moth, and above all, an Elephant Hawk-moth! Get in!

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25th June:

7 Heart and Dart

3 Heart and Club

3 Flame

3 Minor sp.

2 Satin Lutestring

2 Dark Arches

2 Willow Beauty

2 Treble Lines

2 Fan-foot

1 Small Serphim

1 Pebble Hook-tip

1 Mottled Rustic NFG

1 Garden Carpet

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Broom Moth NFG

1 Clouded Silver

1 Turnip

1 Flame Carpet

1 Dot Moth NFY

1 Beautiful Hook-tip NFY

1 Elephant Hawk-moth NFG

1 Marbled White Spot

1 Riband Wave

Beautiful Hook-tip

Dot Moth

Broom Moth

Mottled Rustic
Elephant Hawk-moth

A Ghost at Thursley Generates Some Warmth

I had my first run out with my newly acquired generator at Thursley Common last night, but it was pretty hopeless, thanks to chilly conditions. Luckily, David Gardner was running his 'monster' trap as well, so we were able to get some good macros, as well as important micro records.

Up to 0:00, we got only twelve macro species, but these did inlcude new moths for me of Ghost Swift and two Barred Red. Also nice to get Pine and Elephant Hawk-moths. A geometrid which I netted nearby caused some excitment, as it was initially thought to be a first-for-surrey Lead Belle or rare-for-surrey July Belle. The very worn creature is going to be gen. deted, but it is thought to probably be just a Tawny-barred Angle (yes it was that worn!).

2 Pine Hawk-moth

2 Spruce Carpet

2 Barred Red

2 Buff Ermine

1 Treble Brown Spot

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Treble Lines

1 Ghost Swift

1 Ture Lovers Knot

1 Elephant Hawk-moth

1 Brown Silver-line

Ghost Swift

Pine Hawk-moth

Barred Red

Elephant Hawk-moth