A-knot of cloud brings a very Varied catch

Two nights ago was staggering, with lots of cloud and only a little rain.

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I got exactly the same number of species as my best night ever (6th June - 42), but with three less individuals, but I am definitely not complaining! I managed three brand new species to me which were Varied Coronet, Miller, and Minor Shoulder-knot, as well as a couple more new for the year. It was also surprising to smash my previous Hawk-moth total, with four Elephants!

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2nd July:

7 Heart and Dart

7 Riband Wave

6 Flame

5 Dark Arches

4 Willow Beauty

4 Mottled Beauty

4 Elephant Hawk-moth

4 Light Emerald

3 Marbled White Spot

3 Heart and Club

3 Dot Moth

3 Coronet

2 Double Square-spot

2 Light Arches NFY

2 Fan-foot

2 Clouded Border

2 Pale Mottled Willow

1 Miller NFG

1 Dagger sp. NFY

1 Peppered Moth

1 Sycamore

1 Minor Shoulder-knot NFG

1 Barred Red

1 Uncertain

1 Spruce Carpet

1 Grey Pine Carpet

1 Clay

1 Varied Coronet NFG

1 Common White Wave

1 Minor sp.

1 Poplar Grey

1 Green Pug

1 Common Emerald NFY

1 Snout

1 Buff Arches

1 Dunbar

1 Garden Carpet

1 Foxglove Pug

1 Purple Clay

1 Common Lutestring

1 Bird's Wing

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Species recorded in the garden this year: 142

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The other day I was in a woodland near me when I found this curious Light Emerald. It looks like it has just emerged and is pumping up its wings, but the thing is, that I found it on an overhanging branch quite high up, and I thought they pupated underground. I am really not sure what has happened here:

Dagger sp.

A fresh Willow Beauty

Light Arches

Common Emerald

Miller

Minor Shoulder-knot

Varied Coronet

A Small Jewel arrives...

A good couple of nights, but I am yet to get my two hundredth garden moth. The weather is going to get warmer, so I can expect it soon hopefully.

Both nights were fairly clear, but with quite warm air, and I got 33 moths of 19 species on the 20th, and 54 moths of 23 last night. Best moths were the few new for the year of Mottled Beauty, Turnip, Double Square-spot, and the jewel in the crown, my second ever Small Angle Shades.

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Aggregate of 20th and 21st June:

27 Heart and Dart

8 Ingrailed Clay

5 Dark Arches

4 Brimstone

4 Treble Lines

3 Common Marbled Carpet

3 Scorched Wing

2 Grey Pug

2 Uncertain

2 Willow Beauty

2 Minor sp.

2 Common Pug

2 Light Emerald

1 May Highflyer

1 Dusky Brocade

1 Orange Footman

1 Green Carpet

1 Mottled Pug

1 Small Phoenix

1 Pebble Prominent

1 Brown Silver-line

1 Silver-ground Carpet

1 Mottled Beauty NFY

1 Brown Rustic

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Peppered Moth

1 Heart and Club

1 Flame Carpet

1 Small Angle Shades NFY

1 Double Square-spot NFY

1 Purple Clay

1 Marbled White Spot

1 Rustic

1 Turnip NFY

A colourful duo - Brimstone and Light Emerald

Double Square-spot

Small Angle Shades

Thunder!!

Last night was a bit mad – my biggest catch of the year by a distance. No doubt thanks to the thundery conditions. I woke at 4.20 a.m. and it took me till about 10 a.m. to sort out my catch (with a pause for breakfast!). 48+ species.
I’ve still got a load of micros to sort out but this is my provisional list:

Large yellow underwing
Brown silver-lines x2 nfy
Willow beauty nfy
Straw dot x5 nfy
Orange footman x2
White ermine z9
Pale tussock x5
Green carpet x2
Heart & dart x2
Treble lines x4 nfy
Flame-shoulder x2
Celypha lacunana x6

Poplar hawk
Shoulder-striped wainscot
Agapate hamana x 4 nfy

Middle-barred minor x2 nfy
Flame nfy
Flame carpet x3
Bee moth nfy
May highflyer x3
Common marbled carpet x3
Clouded silver x 5
Buff-tip nfy

Alder kitten nfy

Sharp-angled carpet
Scorched wing x2 nfy

Epiphyas postvittana nfy
Broken-barred carpet 3
Blood-vein
Pale oak beauty x2 nfy

Snout nfy
Common swift x2 nfy


Oligia sp. nfy
Common wave 2
Peppered moth nfy
Green silver-lines nfy
Common rustic agg nfy
Psyche casta nfy

Light emerald x2 nfy
Brimstone x2
Dark sword-grass
Poplar lute-string nfy
Engrailed nfy
Ingrailed clay nfy
Small seraphim New species for me!

Small phoenix nfy
Maiden’s blush nfy.
Ingrailed clay nfy
Freyer’s pug nfy

Small seraphim nfy

31st May- NE Surrey

Had my best trapping session of the year last night, with near perfect conditions.

1 Grey Pine Carpet

1 Green Carpet

1 Common Marbled Carpet

2 Triple Lines

1 Silver Y

1 Light Emerald

2 White Ermine

1 Willow Beauty

1 Pale Mottled Willow

1 Heart and Dart

2 Flame Shoulder

In the way of Micros:

6 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

2 Pyrausta aurata- Swept from thyme

Grey Pine Carpet...

Green Carpet...

Treble Lines...

Heart and Dart...

A very worn Flame Shoulder...

Light Emerald...

Cheers, Bill