Just when you don't expect it....

...so there I was at about 6.30pm last night getting ready for an evening out, having the usual wardrobe malfunction and throwing a bit of a strop, when my partner calmly announced "I've just seen a moth" and disappeared rapidly out of the door! 


Torn between throwing an even bigger strop and curiosity, curiosity won out.  Turned out to be not any old moth but a Small Ranunculus!  The trap hadn't been on for a few night because of the weather and me being poorly so I can only think it had been attracted to one of the house lights and had found a sheltered spot out of the rain.

Small Ranunculus

So despite the weather we ran the trap last night hoping another might show up but not to be.  Although four September Thorn were a bit of a surprise.

September Thorn

We go for Gold at Bisley

There was an event on at Sheet's Heath this evening, which is a heathland/woodland site near Woking, right next to Bisley shooting centre. However, the forecast looked appalling, with the rain careering in around 10:00pm. I thought it was worth going just in case. It did cloud over around 9:00, as forecast, but incredibly, we just experienced one or two light showers, until we packed up at 1:00, with no threat to our electronics thank goodness. With the cloud cover at least temperatures stayed constant, although it had not been a hot day. We had four traps running, so normally I would be a little dissappionted with the numbers we got, but considering the forecast, I was happy with anything! As a matter of fact quality was very high, with several scarce species, and three lifers. These included two heathland specialists, with Dotted Border Wave, and the stunning Purple-bordered Gold, as well as three Plain Waves (I was surprised at how striking the latter was, being smaller than Riband, with clear dots, but faint lines).

6th July, Sheet's Heath;

Dunbar

Riband Wave

True Lover's Knot

Swallowtail

Brown Rustic

Double Square-spot

Suspected

Dark Arches

Clouded Silver

Coronet

Iron Prominent

Purple-bordered Gold*

Oak Nycteoline

Mottled Beauty

Poplar Grey

September Thorn

Smoky Wainscot

Elephant Hawk

Buff Arches

Narrow-winged Pug

Heart and Dart

Peppered Moth (including a carbonaria example)

Scarce Footman

Striped Wainscot

Flame

Willow Beauty

Light Emerald

Lesser Yellow Underwing

Marbled White-spot

Grass Emerald

July Highflyer

Pine Hawk

Pebble Prominent

Buff-tip

Uncertain

Purple Clay

Heart and Club

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Rustic

Plain Wave*

Silver Y

Common Footman

Dotted Border Wave*

Total: 44

carbonaria Peppered Moth

Suspected

September Thorn

Grass Emerald

Dotted Border Wave

Plain Wave

Purple-bordered Gold

September Thorn and Brown Tail- 3rd July

Sorry for the lack of recent posts. I've just come back from a week in Suffolk watching Nightjars, Kingfishers, Dartford Warblers and Avocets along the coast.

I just about managed to fit the moth trap in the suitcase and did a spot of mothing in a secluded wood in Bury St. Edmunds. I know this blog is for Surrey moths but I couldn't resist posting this shot of my best moth of the stay... a Lunar Yellow Underwing (not, I repeat not trapped in Surrey!).

A declining and rare species in Britain, with Suffolk being one of the only places where they can be seen.

Back in Surrey, I trapped my first Thorn of the year, a September Thorn, in the garden just before leaving on the 3rd...

Another welcome surprise in the garden was a Brown-tail which literally landed in my hands as I emptied the trap on the same night...

I haven't trapped in the garden for quite a while now so it will be good to see what I get tonight.

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