I strike Gold at the Bowl

I thought it was worth trapping at the Devil's Punch Bowl last night which is a quality heathland/woodland site.  Unfortunately, the forecast cloud was almost completly non-existant come darkness, so it was a bit cold.  As soon as I decided on this site as a decent mothing location, I thought it looked good for Gold Swift.  Would you believe that this was the very first moth I caught! Alas, I forgot to check whether it smelt like Pineapple!  Other highlights amongst 106 moths of 53 species were a Great Oak Beauty and a Beautiful Snout.

Devil's Punch Bowl, 8th July:
1 Gold Swift
4 Silver Y
1 Bryothropha senectella*
9 Mottled Beauty
1 Yellow Shell
4 Blastobasis lacticolella
3 Snout
2 Agriphila straminella
2 Peach Blossom
2 Brimstone
4 True Lover's Knot
1 Beautiful Snout
2 Common Wave
2 Crambus pascuella
2 Scoparia pyralella
6 Peppered Moth (including one carbonaria)
3 Green Oak Tortrix
2 Variegated Golden Tortrix
1 Great Oak Beauty
5 Dark Arches
3 Beautiful Hook-tip
2 Flame Shoulder
5 Purple Clay
3 July Highflyer
1 Scarce Footman
2 Clay
3 Light Emerald
4 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Red-barred Tortrix
1 Spectacle
2 Double-square Spot
2 Double-striped Pug
1 Lobster Moth
1 Argyresthia brockeela
1 Endotricha flammealis
1 Fan-foot
1 Tawny-barred Angle
1 Short-cloaked Moth
1 Suspected
1 Horse Chestnut
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Burnished Brass
1 Brown Rustic
1 Flame
1 Bramble Shoot Moth
1 Satin Wave
1 Beautiful Golden Y
1 Willow Beauty
1(!) Heart and Dart
1 Riband Wave
1 Large Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Satin Beauty

Gold Swift

Beautiful Snout

Great Oak Beauty

We win by a nose as Snouts save the day

We arrived at Hydon Heath near Godalming last night in pretty windy and chilly conditions, so we were not expecting a great deal. Luckily, the cloud amassed and we had another enjoyable evening.

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We set the trap up in an area of mixed woodland, with plenty of Bilberry. It was no surprise then when a Beautiful Snout appeared, and it was followed by eight others! Pine species were also numerous with eight Pine Hawk-moths! The star of the day however showed up early on, and proved to be a White-line Snout. According to 'The Larger Moths of Surrey', there were only two records between 1976 and 1997 in the county. I am not aware of its more recent history.

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Hydon Heath, 30th July:

September Thorn

Small Fan-footed Wave

Dunbar

Small Rivulet

Willow Beauty

Brimstone

Beautiful Snout

Scalloped Oak

Common Rustic

White-line Snout*

Buff Footman

Large Twin-spot Carpet

Iron Prominent

Brown-tail

Common Carpet

Pine Hawk-moth

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Early Thorn

Rosy Footman

Scalloped Hook-tip

Riband Wave

Black Arches

Scorched Carpet

Pebble Hook-tip

Large Yellow Underwing

Mottled Beauty

Yellow Shell

Beautiful Hook-tip

Small Phoenix

Dingy Footman

Cloaked Minor

Tawny-barred Angle

Marbled White Spot

Copper Underwing

Dagger sp. (plus a Grey Dagger larva on nearby Birch)

Drinker

Peppered Moth

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Orange Footman

Pine Carpet

Double Square-spot

Satin Lutestring

Oak Hook-tip

Coxcomb Prominent

Common White Wave

Total: 45

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The final trap

Gigantic Pine Longhorn Beetle (not its official name!)

Beautiful Snout

White-line Snout