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

An Umber of Great moths

I have not trapped in the garden for some time, mainly due to the appalling clear weather we have had! I needed a mothing fix, so I went to Oaken Wood last night with Derek Coleman. Conditions were again poor, so I was quite surprised at the number of species we got by 23:30. The best from my point of view was the new species of Barred Umber, but we got a number of scarce species too, such as Great Oak Beauty, Four-dotted Footman, and Orange Moths.

21st May, Oaken Wood:

Green Carpet

Little Emerald

Common Swift

Orange Moth

Birch Mocha

Silver-ground Carpet

Purple Bar

Cream Wave

Treble-bar

Pale Tussock

Brown Silver-lines

Treble Lines

Common Marbled Carpet

Maiden's Blush

Four-dotted Footman

Pale Prominent

Scalloped Hazel

Barred Umber*

Green Silver-lines

Small White Wave

Great Oak Beauty

Marbled Brown

Light Emerald

Clouded Silver

Broken-barred Carpet

Blood Vein

Orange Footman

Treble Brown-spot

Buff Ermine

Oak Hook-tip

White Pinion-spotted

Flame Shoulder

Heart and Dart

Ingrailed Clay

Peacock

Common Pug

Alder Moth

Lobster Moth

Scorched Wing

Poplar Grey

White Ermine

Small Seraphim

Small Dotted Buff

Pale Oak Beauty

Foxglove Pug

Vine's Rustic

Total: 46

Cream Wave (none of us were sure, but thats the decision we came to)

Marbled Brown

Alder Moth

Orange Moth

Birch Mocha

Green Silver-lines

Great Oak Beauty

Barred Umber

Sorry for going off topic again, but I just have to share this shot I got of a Cream-spot Tiger in Brittany last week (There were lots of lepidopteran highlights there, but this was the only one I photographed):

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...

The Suspects get off (Wain)scot free at Horsell

Even a late night visit from the rozzers wondering what we were up to, failed to put a downer on a marvelous evening at Horsell Common near Woking. I don't blame them for being suspicious about five shapes leaning over three lights in the woodland. Maybe they thought War of the Worlds was coming to life (the book was set there)!

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Anyway, to the moths. Even though it was clear and cold, there was a steady procession of species, that included five brand news ones to me, and final total of 57 macros. The best ones being Great Oak Beauty, Suspected, and Striped Wainscot.

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3rd July, Horsell Common:(Lifers = *)

Small Fan-footed Wave

Peppered Moth

Rosy Footman

Heart and Dart

Brown Silver-line

Engrailed

Buff Ermine

Double Square-spot

Treble Brown Spot

Bright-line Brown-eye

Small Fan-foot

Dark Arches

Marbled White Spot

September Thorn

Common Wave

Common White Wave

Riband Wave

Lobster Moth

Iron Prominent

Tawny-barred Angle

Sharp-angled Carpet

Mottled Beauty

Common Emerald

Miller

Beautiful Hook-tip

Pine Hawk-moth

Buff Footman*

Willow Beauty

Yellow-tail

Dunbar

Brown Rustic

Common Footman

Sandy Carpet

Light Emerald

Brown Scallop

Uncertain

Barred Red

Great Oak Beauty*

Peach Blossom

Large Emerald

Pebble Hook-tip

Knot Grass

True Lover's Knot

Blotched Emerald

Dwarf Cream Wave*

Striped Wainscot*

Scarce Footman

Four-dotted Footman

Scalloped Oak

Brimstone

Coxcomb Prominent

Green Pug

Buff-tip

Heart and Club

Buff Arches

Suspected*

Coronet

Minor Shoulder-knot

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Apologies for the poor shots.

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September Thorn

Buff Footman

Brown Scallop (honest!)

Large Emerald

Yellow-tail

Striped Wainscot

Suspected

Great Oak Beauty