No mercury Vapour, but good old trap delivers

Another excellent weather night produced a load of new for the years in the garden. Best however, was the garden tick of a Vapourer. I thought I might get this in the garden at some point, but I expected it to be a fly-by during the day, perhaps whilst holding a vigil at the Buddleia for Humming-bird Hawk (which I have been doing a bit recently, without success so far).

July 27th:
13 Dark Arches
10 Large Yellow Underwing
7 Common Rustic sp.
6 Dunbar
4 Uncertain
4 Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 Heart and Dart
2 Willow Beauty
2 Antler NFY
1 Riband Wave
1 Vapourer NFG
1 Small Rivulet NFY
1 Buff Ermine
1 Rosy Footman NFY
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Light Arches
1 July Highflyer
1 Rosy Minor NFY
1 Rustic
1 Smoky Wainscot
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1 Clay
1 Spectacle NFY
1 Double Square-spot

Rosy Minor

Spectacle

Rosy Footman

Antler

Vapourer

Coppers, Horses, and Pines

The night of the 8th was not particularly good in the garden, so I had to put it into the same post as last nights, although that really deserves its own!

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5 nights ago, the only thing of any note in a catch of 70 moths of 23 species was the first Copper Underwing of the year. Looking at the features that once identified them, it looked like a Svennson's.

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8th July:

10 Flame

9 Heart and Dart

9 Riband Wave

6 Dot Moth

6 Buff Arches

6 Dunbar

4 Uncertain

3 Dark Arches

2 Rustic

2 Coronet

2 Double Square-spot

2 Willow Beauty

1 Buff-tip

1 Scorched Wing

1 Elephant Hawk-moth

1 Beautiful Hook-tip

1 Clay

1 Foxglove Pug

1 Common White Wave

1 Clouded Border

1 Sycamore

1 Common Emerald

1 Svennson's Copper Underwing NFY

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Clouded Border

Svensson's Copper Underwing

Last night however, was miles better, with the second highest numbers of individuals ever (92) and good variety too (36 species), thanks to cloudy conditions, and a heavy shower. The only garden tick was a Pine Hawk-moth, but unfortunately, the rain had got to it and was worse for wear. Two new for the year were Rosy Footman, and a Horse Chestnut - the only officially notable species on my garden list. I have also started to notice micros a little more, and there were some nice ones in the trap, including the migrant Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, but it got away before I could get a shot.

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12th July:

19 Flame

9 Dark Arches

8 Riband Wave

5 Uncertain

5 Dunbar

4 Heart and Dart

3 Coronet

3 Rustic

2 Double Square-spot

2 Peppered Moth

2 Green Pug

2 Mottled Beauty

2 Dot Moth

2 Large Yellow Underwing

2 Dagger sp.

2 V-Pug

1 Willow Beauty

1 Minor sp.

1 Buff Arches

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Small Seraphim

1 Light Emerald

1 Elephant Hawk-moth

1 Common Lutestring

1 Pine Hawk-moth NFG

1 Beautiful Hook-tip

1 Barred Red

1 Rosy Footman NFY

1 Clay

1 Double-striped Pug

1 Horse Chestnut NFY

1 Minor Shoulder-knot

1 Pebble Hook-tip

1 Lobster Moth

1 Poplar Grey

1 Miller

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Garden Year List: 150

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Argyresthia brockeella (Thanks to Ken for the ID)

Acleris forsskaleana

Hedya salicella

Horse Chestnut
Rosy Footman
Pine Hawk-moth (view 1)
Pine Hawk-moth (view 2)

Summer is Here

It was mad around the trap this morning. I got out into the garden shortly after 4 a.m. It was still dark enough for a few moths to be flying around, thanks to the cloud cover. But it was 14deg C and many of the moths in the trap were very active. I did my best to check them out but inevitably lots flew away as soon as I lifted the lamp away from the top of the trap. I covered the trap with a towel and headed for our garden shed. At least I have a chance of recatching some of the ones that fly off in there. I didn't try to count the moths as I wanted to concentrate on IDing as many species as possible before I lost them. I reckon there could have been 500 in all but I must have lost about 100. Even so I had 20 new macro species for the year and umpteen micros - many of which I'll have to ask the ever-patient county recorder to look at. But there were certainly quite a few new for the year among them.

I didn't photograph every species - the day is not long enough but here are some (not all are new for the year - and I don't have common footman or bright-line brown-eye here):
varied coronet


Treble Brown Spot


Dingy Shears


Smoky Wainscot (note dark hindwing)


Small Angle Shades


Rosy Footman


Pale Oak Beauty


Minor Shoulder-knot


Double Square-spot


Common Emerald


Burnished Brass


Blue-Bordered Carpet


Blotched Emerald


Barred Yellow


Beautiful Golden-Y


Barred Straw