Mega Micro Micros!

Here was I thinking that a return to trapping in my suburban garden would be a step down from the last couple of sensational field trips.  In terms of macros it certainly was, but the quality of the micros was just as good as the recent trappings at nature reserves.  Just three expected year ticks amongst the macros, but the micros were excellent, and included the stunning Mompha locupletella, as well as Aspilapteryx tringipennella, and Bucculatrix ulmella.  Also a notable number of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miners.  All these took some sorting I can tell you, almost all being of the microscopic type!  Note to self: Must get a hand-lens.

20th August:
Macros:
49 LBBYU
14 Dunbar
14 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Riband Wave
5 Brimstone
4 Common Carpet
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Willow Beauty
3 Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
2 Silver Y
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Iron Prominent
2 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Straw Dot
2 Small Rivulet
2 True Lover's Knot
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Green Carpet
1 Flounced Rustic NFY
1 Garden Carpet
1 Rosy Minor
1 Small Phoenix
1 Common White Wave
1 Mouse Moth
1 Ear Moth
1 Burnished Brass
1 Six-striped Rustic NFY
1 Old Lady NFY
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Fan-foot
1 Dark Arches
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Early Thorn
1 Rosy Footman
1 Copper Underwing
1 Buff Footman
1 Peppered Moth

Micros:
14 Cydia splendana
8 Phycita roborella
7 Agriphila tristella
7 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
7 Eudonia mercurella
6 Blastobasis adustella
5 Agriphila geniculea
3 Hypsopygia glaucinalis
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Scoparia ambigualis
2 Aspilapteryx tringipennella*
2 Parornix anglicella
2 Caloptilia rufipennella
1 Eudonia truncicolella
1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Garden Pebble
1 Cydia fagiglandana
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Bryotropha affinis
1 Acleris forsskaleana
1 Bucculatrix ulmella*
1 Trachycera advenella
1 Argyresthia goedartella
1 Beautiful Plume
1 Epinotia nisella
1 Rhyaconia pinicolana
1 Apple Leaf-miner*
1 Case-bearing Clothes-moth
1 Mompha locupletella*

Mompha locupletella

Bucculatrix ulmella

Aspilapteryx tringipennella



Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner

Apple Leaf-miner

Caloptilia rufipennella

Six-striped Rustic

late post

I'm afraid I haven't been doing much mothing recently, partly due to strange work schedules but also feeling the effects of last year's health crisis. (It's ironic that I did far more mothing when I was on sick leave than since I went back to work full-time!) But I thought I'd stick a couple of photos on here for the record.

These photos have been taken over recent months... they are all common except for Argyresthia cupressella, which is the only photo ever taken of this species in Surrey (and I apologise that it's not that great - my camera is reaching the top end of its resolution on a moth that is only 6mm long). How do I know that it's the only photo? Because the moth has only been recorded four times in Surrey, and all the records were in my garden! Incidentally, look out for Smaller moths of Surrey - the ultimate guide to Surrey's micros, which should be out in 2012. I've seen some of the photo plates and they look good!

Speckled wood

common blue


six-striped rustic


oak lutestring


feathered gothic


Argyresthia cupressella

A fantastic feline find

While I was at Dawney's, I had my trap running at home, at the cloudy skies produced the goods. Amongst 26 species was two new for the garden aand three further year ticks. The new garden moths were a Currant Pug, and a Poplar Kitten (at least I am pretty sure it is, although a little late).
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9th August:

13 Large Yellow Underwing

12 Common Rustic

11 Shuttle-shaped Dart

10 Dunbar

5 Copper Underwing

3 Vine's Rustic

2 LBBYU

2 Turnip

1 Willow Beauty

1 Riband Wave

1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing NFY

1 Small Fan-footed Wave

1 Red Twin-spot Carpet

1 Garden Carpet

1 Small Phoenix

1 Svensson's Copper Underwing

1 Lychnis NFY

1 Peppered Moth

1 Six-striped Rustic NFY

1 Poplar Kitten NFG

1 Currant Pug NFG

1 Rosy Minor

1 Scalloped Hook-tip

1 Flame Shoulder

1 Heart and Dart

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Lychnis
Six-striped Rustic

Currant Pug
Poplar Kitten