Here pussy, pussy, pussy.....

I knew as soon as I put the light on yesterday evening, that I was in for a great catch.  It was a very hot day, and cloud was just forming overhead.  The cloud may not have stayed around all night, but it was still warm enough for just a T-shirt when I closed down the trap just before first light. 

When I close down the trap, I stuff the entrance with kitchen towel, so I can put the trap in the shed, and open it up later in the day after work.  This has always worked fine, but those little devils that are Cockchafers were able to push out the paper this morning!  As a result, a few moths got away, and got lost in the piles of garbage in the shed.  Who knows what was there, but I should definitely not complain! 

The reason being that despite not quite as many moths as I expected (26 sp), I did manage to get two brand new species, and a further new one for the garden, an amazing result!  Amongst these was a long sought-after species as far as I'm concerned - a Puss moth.  Result!  The other brand new one was a single Grey Birch, and the garden tick was another Birch feeder - a Birch Mocha.  I also got a striking micro, Acleris literana.

23rd May:
9 Mottled Pug
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
3 Brimstone
2 Common Wave NFY
2 Small Seraphim NFY
2 Light Brocade NFY
2 Common Pug NFY
1 Puss Moth NFM
1 Birch Mocha NFG
1 Narrow-winged Pug
1 Shears
1 Yellow-barred Brindle
1 Silver-ground Carpet NFY
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Tawny-barred Angle NFY
1 Poplar Grey NFY
1 Pebble Hook-tip NFY
1 Red-green Carpet NFY
1 Grey Birch NFM
1 Garden Carpet
1 Minor sp. (prob Marbled) NFY
1 Spruce Carpet NFY
1 Brindled Pug
1 Pebble Prominent
1 Iron Prominent NFY
1 Flame Shoulder

Plus loads of unidentifiable Pugs (prob mostly Mottled)!

Puss Moth

Spruce Carpet

Common Pug

Minor sp (prob Marbled)

Light Brocade

Small Seraphim

Red-green Carpet

Poplar Grey

Pebble Hook-tip

Grey Birch

Tawny-barred Angle

Common Wave

Silver-ground Carpet

Birch Mocha

 

Acleris literana

More than a Little success in the garden

Back to the garden last night, where conditions were excellent, and I was relieved we didn't get the forecast thunderstorms. By far the best variety of the year to date included a Little Emerald which is new to the garden, along with a load of new for the years.

27th June:

14 Heart and Dart

10 Light Arches

9 Riband Wave

6 Rustic

5 Uncertain

5 Beautiful Hook-tip NFY

3 Buff Arches NFY

3 July Highflyer

3 Flame

3 Light Emerald

3 Dot Moth

2 Tawny-barred Angle

2 Mottled Rustic NFY

2 Minor sp.

2 Brimstone

2 Dark Arches

1 Fan-foot

1 Little Emerald NFG

1 Poplar Grey NFY

1 Iron Prominent NFY

1 Mottled Beauty

1 Engrailed NFY

1 Common White Wave

1 Heart and Club

1 Double-striped Pug NFY

1 Double Square-spot

1 Shuttle-shaped Dart

1 V-pug NFY

1 Brown Silver-line

1 Treble Brown-spot

1 Dunbar NFY

1 Willow Beauty

1 Common Lutestring NFY

Total: 33

V-pug

Engrailed

Buff Arches

Dot Moth

Double-striped Pug

Poplar Grey

Tawny Barred-angle

Little Emerald

All's Rosy, as underwings Herald new era

Although conditions were almost perfect last night with full cloud cover, I did not get my best haul of the year, but I shouldn't complain, as 87 moths of 32 species is still excellent.

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There was a garden tick amongst them, as well as four year ticks. However, the new garden species was not 'pure', as last year I did find the wing of a Herald in a spiders web in the garden, so they have certainly visited me before. Still, it was a stunner. Nice to get four species of yellow underwing too, autumns coming!

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25th July:

10 Riband Wave

9 Dunbar

9 Double Square-spot

8 Copper Underwing

6 Flame

6 V Pug

4 Svennson's Copper Underwing

3 Rosy Minor NFY

3 Dark Arches

3 Common Rustic sp.

2 Scalloped Oak

2 Ruby Tiger

2 Minor sp.

2 Oak Hook-tip

2 Large Yellow Underwing

2 Willow Beauty

1 White-spotted Pug

1 Purple Thorn

1 Tawny-barred Angle NFY

1 Common Footman

1 Rustic

1 July Highflyer

1 Small Fan-footed Wave

1 Herald NFG

1 Beautiful Hook-tip

1 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing NFY

1 Slender Brindle

1 Shuttle-shaped Dart

1 Peppered Moth

1 Least Yellow Underwing NFY

1 Lesser Yellow Underwing

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A couple of interesting insects from around the trap:

Speckled Bush-cricket

A wonderfully wierd Weevil

Tawny-barred Angle

Least Yellow Underwing

Rosy Minor

Herald