Hook-tips and Highflyers

Just a quick selection of highlights from the garden trap in the past week. No doubt more to come...

Oak Hook-tip

Oak-tree Pug; note the rounded discal spot, and the more compact wing shape. Unusually, Oak-tree is one of the most common moths in my trap at this time of year, vastly outnumbering all other Pugs...

Light Brocades are also regulars in late spring, but I've never seen one with a wing deformity like this...

May Highflyer...

Lime Hawk-moth, always a favourite with the family!

31st May- Dwarfs Alders come before

Normally, I would do a post for the last two nights, but with cloudy skies, and no rain until dawn, I just knew tonight would produce a lot, and I was right. 49 moths of 27 species is the best catch this year, and it had plenty of stunners amongst them.

Not only did I get two more Light Brocade, but I also got the garden ticks of Small White Wave and May Highflyer, as well as a brand new species for me in the shape of two Alder Moths. There was a considerable size difference between the two, which is not particularly obvious in the photo (maybe male and female?). Also a Dwarf Pug which is only the second ever.

31st May (NFY = new for year, NFG = new for garden)

8 Heart and Dart (oh, the fun to come)
5 Treble Lines
4 Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 Common Pug
3 Red Twin-spot Carpet
2 Common Marbled Carpet
2 Light Brocade
2 Alder Moth NFG
2 Brown Silver-line
1 Oak Hoop-tip NFY
1 Small Phoenix
1 Clouded Drab
1 Common Carpet NFY
1 White-spotted Pug
1 Yellow-barred Brindle
1 Orange Footman
1 Small White Wave NFG
1 Poplar Hawk-moth
1 Brimstone
1 Bird's Wing NFY
1 Shears
1 Oak-tree Pug
1 Coxcomb Prominent NFY
1 Scalloped Hazel
1 Heart and Club NFY
1 May Highflyer NFG
1 Dwarf Pug NFY


Small White Wave
Oak Hook-tip

May Highflyer

Dwarf Pug

Coxcomb Prominent

Bird's Wing

Alder Moths

Carpet Challenge

I was a bit disappointed with last night's catch considering how warm the day had been. But a clear sky again meant a limited no. of moths (although it didn't seem to stop the cockchafers arriving - there were about a dozen of them).
List as follows:
Orange Footman 2
Flame Carpet 2
Brimstone
Swallow prominent
Blood-vein (nfy)

Clouded Border (nfy)

May highflyer (nfy)

Poplar Hawk-moth
White Ermine
Muslin Moth 2
Broken-barred Carpet (nfy)

Common White Wave (nfy)

Pale Prominent
Celipha lacunana (nfy)

There was also a carpet which I'm struggling to ID. I think it's probably a faded common carpet but could it possibly be the rare wood carpet? I've asked for comments on www.birdforum.net so I'll probably know soon. Edit: It's just been pointed out that it's a Sharp-angled Carpet... Doh!


Today there was a lovely Pyrausta aurata flying around the mint in our garden. But I couldn't get a photo.