118 Moths; Is This 2012?

At last!  Just as others experienced last night, the weather here was almost perfect, and finally produced good numbers.  Although it does appear that this year I am only getting quality or quantity, never both!  Shouldn't complain though as I got 66 macros of 41 species, and another 24 micro species.  Amongst these macros were 13 year ticks, but most were expected, just a Lilac Beauty that wasn't,  which was my second record in the garden.

25th June:
8 Dark Arches
4 Light Emerald NFY
3 Peppered Moth
3 Heart and Dart
3 Orange Footman
2 Brimstone
2 Poplar Hawk-moth NFY
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
2 Marbled White-spot
2 Fan-foot NFY
2 Lobster
2 Heart and Club NFY
2 Treble Lines
2 Minor sp.
1 Treble Brown-spot NFY
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Lilac Beauty NFY
1 Dusky Brocade NFY
1 Elephant Hawk-moth
1 Common Wave
1 Common White Wave
1 Flame Carpet
1 Straw Dot
1 Ingrailed Clay NFY
1 Foxglove Pug
1 Freyer's Pug NFY
1 Common Pug
1 Grey Pug
1 Swallow Prominent
1 Rosy Footman NFY
1 Brown Silver-line NFY
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Silver Y
1 Angle Shades
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Spectacle
1 Willow Beauty
1 Bird's Wing
1 Blotched Emerald NFY
1 Beautiful Hook-tip NFY
1 Double-striped Pug

Micros (* = new):
1 Common White Plume
2 Brown House Moth
1 Ananis (was Phlyctaenia) coronata
2 Variegated Golden Tortrix
3 Scoparia pyralella
1 Diamond-back Moth
3 Celypha lacunana
13 Dipleurina lacustrata
1 Celypha striana*
1 Notocelia rosaecolana*
4 Green Oak Tortrix
4 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
4 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Small Magpie
1 Eudonia mercurella
1 Hawthorn Moth*
1 Bee Moth
1 Plum Tortrix*
1 Cherry Bark Tortrix
2 Chrysoteucia culmella
1 Udea olivalis
1 Ash Bud Moth*
1 Argyresthia bonnetella*
1 Ocnerostoma piniariella*

Lilac Beauty

Beautiful Hook-tip

Poplar Hawk-moth

Treble Brown-spot

Freyer's Pug

Ingrailed Clay

Dusky Brocade

Straw Dot

Heart and Club

Rosy Footman

Blotched Emerald

Ash Bud Moth

Cherry Bark Tortrix

Notocelia rosaecolana

Scoparia pyralella

Celypha striana

Yesterday, I came across this newly emerged Psyche casta on a window:

Cloaked in drizzle, but we Hook quality!

I went to Thursley Common last night for a mothing event with David Gardner. Bill was able to come, although it was a shame he had to leave early. Particularly as we had a great time, with only average conditions. In drizzly, cold weather, we got small numbers, but high quality from this top-notch site. I got three lifers, and a possible fourth. When the very first macro we saw was a Silver Hook, I knew we were going to do well! I managed to net this wet heathland specialist before dusk. During the night itself, we were also graced by the presence of a Cloaked Carpet, and a female Grass Wave amongst others. You can't beat mothing with a serenade of Nightjar churring (I got some great views too, as a male endeavoured to catch the moths before me)!

Thursley Common, 24th June (in order of appearance):

Silver Hook*

Treble Brown-spot

Double-striped Pug

Snout

Lilac Beauty

Grey Pine Carpet

Pine Hawk

True Lover's Knot

Marbled White Spot

Cloaked Carpet*

Heart and Club

Tawny-barred Angle

Mottled Beauty

Green Carpet

Middle-barred Minor

Brown Rustic

Smoky Wainscot

Beautiful Hook-tip

Lobster

Scalloped Hook-tip

Striped Wainscot

Barred Red

Riband Wave

Marbled Brown

Grass Wave*

Dunbar

Yellow Shell

Willow Beauty

Small Fan-footed Wave

Double Square-spot

Large Yellow Underwing

Small Seraphim

Possible Square Spot (it was much smaller than nearby Mottled Beauty)

(Forgotten the name of this micro!)

Beautiful Hook-tip

Striped Wainscot

Lilac Beauty and Barred Red

Scalloped Hook-tip

Grass Wave

Cloaked Carpet

Silver Hook

Hearts, Clubs, Waves, Carpets and other stuff...

I haven't posted on here in quite a while, and there have been too many moths to post full trap reports, so here are a few photos of some of the species that have been turning up in the garden trap through May, and into (a pretty rubbish!) June...

Beautiful Hook-tip (28th May)...

Marbled Brown (28th May)...

Blotched Emerald (29th May)...

Treble Brown Spot (20th May)...

Least Carpet (8th June)...

Dwarf Cream Wave (8th June)...

The Shears (8th June)...

Heart and Club (8th June)...

Flame Shoulder (25th May)

Expect a few more photos in the near future, as I don't think the weather is going to allow for much trapping this weekend, giving me time to make up for a bit of back-blog!

Mullein over one Shell of a moth

Back to old faithful last evening, my garden. Less than perfect conditions produced a surprisingly large number of moths, that included two new for the garden. Amongst 66 moths of 25 species was a Mullein Wave, and a gorgeous Scallop Shell, which is a first for me. I tried to get a more natural shot of the latter, but it got away! That brings my macro garden year list to 144.
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5th July:
15 Dark Arches
10 Heart and Dart
5 Mottled Beauty
4 Double Square-spot
4 Buff Arches
3 Riband Wave
2 Beautiful Hook-tip
2 Flame
2 Uncertain
2 Heart and Club
2 Common Lutestring
1 Small Dusty Wave
1 Clouded Silver
1 Barred Red
1 Minor sp.
1 Broken-barred Carpet
1 Light Arches
1 Scallop Shell NFG
1 Elephant Hawk-moth (an also-ran now!)
1 Green Pug
1 Minor Shoulder-knot
1 Buff Ermine
1 Fan-foot
1 Dunbar
1 Mullein Wave NFG


A squadron of Dark Arches

Small Dusty Wave

Minor Shoulder-knot

Buff Arches

Beautiful Hook-tip

Mullein Wave


Scallop Shell

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