O for the Wing of a Swallow

Conditions continue to be appalingly cold, but a load of cloud cover last night prompted me to try and trap, but needless to say the rain guard was an essential piece of equipment.  Numbers still ridiculously low for the time of year, but at least I now have something to submit for National Moth Night.  Just like the last trapping, only expected year ticks were achieved.

23rd June:
5 Heart and Dart
4 Peppered Moth (including one near carbonaria)
2 Lobster Moth
2 Green Pug NFY
2 Flame NFY
2 Minor sp.
1 Willow Beauty NFY
1 Pale Prominent
1 Bird's Wing NFY
1 Marbled White-spot
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Small Angle Shades
1 Swallow-tailed Moth NFY
1 Snout NFY
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Uncertain NFY
1 Buff-tip
1 Buff Ermine

Micros:
1 Small Magpie
1 Celypha lacunana
1 Chrysoteucia culmella
1 Orthotaenia undulana (I'd appreciate a confirmation or otherwise)

Bird's Wing  (one of my favourite moths)



Swallow-tailed Moth

Flame

Green Pug

Willow Beauty

Snout

Orthotaenia undulana (I think)



Pugtastic

Last night was the first warm cloudy one for a couple of weeks, so it worth running the trap. Numbers were a little dissapointing, but included an array of Pugs, all but one of which I managed to identify! One of the Green Pugs was very fresh, but by the time I had had it potted for a little while, it started to loose its green! The same can be said for the July Highflyer too. I also found a very pretty micro flying around in the day, that I would appreciate an ID for.

June 14th:

15 Heart and Dart

4 Rustic

3 Green Pug NFY

2 Dark Arches

2 Willow Beauty

2 Common Pug

1 Foxglove Pug NFY

1 Grey Pug

1 Fan-foot NFY

1 Small Fan-foot NFY

1 July Highflyer NFY

1 Marbled White-spot

1 Small Dusty Wave NFY

1 Brimstone

1 Uncertain NFY

Sorry for some of these poor shots, but I wasn't having much luck persuading them to sit where I wanted!

Unidentified micro

Green Pug

Small Dusty Wave

July Highflyer

Small Fan-foot

Fan-foot

Rustic

Two hundred not out!

As expected, in warm, but still clear conditions, I managed to get my two hundredth garden moth, alongside my two hundred and first, and two hundred and second! Numbers remain very constant with 46 moths of 25 species this morning, that included a Clouded Silver, which is completely new to me, a Poplar Grey, and a Barred Red. Also a few new for the year including Straw Dot, which is only my second record. Also only my second was a Marbled Brown, but that got eaten in the trap by a Burrying Beetle!

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22nd June:

17 Heart and Dart

2 May Highflyer

2 Spectacle

2 Ingrailed Clay

2 Dark Arches

2 Middle-barred Minor

1 Straw Dot NFY

1 Buff-tip

1 Clouded Silver NFG

1 Mottled Beauty

1 Light Emerald

1 Barred Red NFG

1 Green Pug NFY

1 Maiden's Blush

1 Common Marbled Carpet

1 Riband Wave NFY

1 Common Wave

1 Willow Beauty

1 Common White Wave NFY

1 Treble Lines

1 Scorched Wing

1 Marbled Brown

1 Heart and Club

1 Fan-foot NFY

1 Poplar Grey NFG

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Also, a pretty micro I identified as Phlyctaenia coronata

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Phlyctaenia coronata

The Fan-foot

Heart and Club

Green Pug

Barred Red

Clouded Silver

Poplar Grey

20th June

A fantastic night for me with 77 moths of 20 species recorded in the garden 15W Actinic.

The highlight were 2 Cypress Carpet, I have now recorded 3 in the space of less than 7 months, which no doubt suggests local breeding. This time 10 years ago, there was only 1 confirmed record for Surrey, but following a sudden expansion in its range, it is believed to be breeding in the county...

Another highlight was a Blotched Emerald- an absolute stunner but flew away before I could get a shot!

Green Pug was abundant, and I recorded 5 individuals, including this very green specimen...

In the way of Waves, I recorded 10 Small Dusty Wave and 17 Riband Wave. Suprisingly, only 1 Treble Brown Spot showed up but allowed for a photo as it fed from a flower...

Other long overdue new moths for the year included a relitively fresh Shears, a Straw Dot and Garden Carpet.

The Shears...

And I'll leave you to scratch your heads over this Minor...