More than I bargained for!

Like others, I've been taking advantage of the very unseasonal weather to pop the moth trap out in the garden. To be honest, I didn't expect to be as successful as I have been, with a total of 15 species recorded (and god knows how many individuals!) over the past 3 days, bringing the 2012 garden moth list to 20... a figure that wasn't reached until 22nd March last year. Perhaps a sign of things to come?
Here's the list so far:

Dark Chestnut
Chestnut
March Moth
Common Quaker
Small Quaker
Clouded Drab
Small Brindled Beauty
Pale Brindled Beauty
Winter Moth
Spring Usher
Tachystola acroxantha
Epiphyas postvittana
Carpatolechia decorella
Ypsolopha ustella
Tortricodes alternella
Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
Emmelina monodactyla
Agonopterix heracliana
Mompha subbistrigella
Acleris cristana

Small Quaker, 1 of 3...

Small Quaker w/ big brother, the Common Quaker...

Spring Usher...

March Moth...

Small Brindled Beauty, the most numerous moth in the trap at present...

Pale Brindled Beauty, a belated garden first...

A gang of 'Beauties'...

Clouded Drab...

Dark Chestnut, a first for the garden...

Carpatolechia decorella...

Mompha subbistrigella...

Ysolopha ustella...

Emmelina monodactyla...

Not exactly a moth, but the thin crescent of the moon was looking nice on Friday night...

Happy mothing!

March Round-off

A few more odds and ends from March in the garden.

Emmelina monodactyla, caught on the 22nd. An almost prehistoric looking micro moth...

Double striped Pugs fly throughout most of the year in mild weather, but it is the first generation, emerging during March and April, that are the smartest looking (sorry for the horrible camera focusing, they are not easy to photograph!). Caught this individual on 22nd March...

On a field trip to the bathroom on 14th, this Mompha subbistrigella decided to fly in through an open window. Its the smallest moth I've ever seen- only 4mm in length- and new for the garden. Provided a real challenge for the macro lens...

Probably the most stunning moth I've caught yet this year, I caught my first Oak Beauty on the 11th, and since then small numbers have been turning up to lit windows now and then- always a pleasure to see...

Not easily told apart from Dark Chestnut (which is coming to the end of its flight period), I caught this typical looking Chestnut on the 11th. Told apart from Dark Chestnut by the more curved edge to the forewing, as opposed the more straight edged and sharp 'apex' of the Dark Chestnut...

Mild weather brought this worn Oak Nycteoline out of hiberation slightly earlier than usual on the 10th March. Like the Double-striped Pug, it can be seen throughout most of the year...