O for the Wing of a Swallow

Conditions continue to be appalingly cold, but a load of cloud cover last night prompted me to try and trap, but needless to say the rain guard was an essential piece of equipment.  Numbers still ridiculously low for the time of year, but at least I now have something to submit for National Moth Night.  Just like the last trapping, only expected year ticks were achieved.

23rd June:
5 Heart and Dart
4 Peppered Moth (including one near carbonaria)
2 Lobster Moth
2 Green Pug NFY
2 Flame NFY
2 Minor sp.
1 Willow Beauty NFY
1 Pale Prominent
1 Bird's Wing NFY
1 Marbled White-spot
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Small Angle Shades
1 Swallow-tailed Moth NFY
1 Snout NFY
1 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Uncertain NFY
1 Buff-tip
1 Buff Ermine

Micros:
1 Small Magpie
1 Celypha lacunana
1 Chrysoteucia culmella
1 Orthotaenia undulana (I'd appreciate a confirmation or otherwise)

Bird's Wing  (one of my favourite moths)



Swallow-tailed Moth

Flame

Green Pug

Willow Beauty

Snout

Orthotaenia undulana (I think)



Plenty to Drink at Broadstreet / Slender quality in the garden

A couple of nights ago we had a go at mothing at Broadstreet Common near Guildford, but a little rained hindered us. We did manage macro highlights of Kent Black Arches, Small Scallop, and Cream Wave. We also got loads of Drinker including a large female. Among the micros were the grassland specialist Isophrictis striatella, and the boldly marked Pammene aurana.

Shaded Broad-bar

female Drinker

Last night in the garden, it was cloudy, but not really warm. Surprisingly, numbers were my best for three weeks, with 23 species. The only notable was a Slender Brindle.

21st July:
16 Dark Arches
9 Uncertain
6 Dunbar
5 Riband Wave
4 Rustic
4 Double Square-spot
3 Willow Beauty
2 Copper Underwing
2 Heart and Dart
2 Mottled Beauty
2 Dot Moth
2 Common Rustic sp. NFY
1 Yellow Shell
1 Snout
1 Poplar Hawk
1 Clay
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Slender Brindle NFY
1 Beautiful Hook-tip
1 Bird's Wing
1 July Highflyer
1 Flame

1 Buff Arches

Snout

Common Rustic

Slender Brindle

The Beautiful Rough comes up trumps

Last evening, I went to a place called Fames Rough near Banstead, in the hope of seeing some nice chalk scrub species. David Gardner was determined to look for a group of micros which feed on Thyme. We did not find those, but we had a fantastic night in near-perfect conditions. Three lifers for me, and even a few micro lifers for the expert!

Up to 1:10 we managed the most macros I have ever experienced, with 82 species. The three new ones were a fantastic Beautiful Carpet, a worn Green Arches, and two Small Emerald. Some other notables were Phoenix, Olive, Waved Black, and three Kent Black Arches.

Fames Rough, 19th July:
Dunbar
Small Fan-footed Wave
Clay Triple-lines
Buff Footman
Buff Arches
Ruby Tiger
July Highflyer
Beautiful Carpet*
Marbled White Spot
Silver Y
Scorched Carpet
Clouded Silver
Smoky Wainscot
Rustic
Double-striped Pug
Common White Wave
Light Emerald
Double Square-spot
Green Pug
Dark Arches
Riband Wave
Brimstone
Clay
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Flame
Brown Scallop
V-pug
Mottled Beauty
Brown-line Bright-eye
Coronet
Single-dotted Wave
Phoenix
Large Yellow Underwing
Scarce Footman
Large Emerald
Common Footman
Garden Carpet
Small Purple-barred
Common Rustic
Oak Nycteoline
Waved Black
Flame Shoulder
Iron Prominent
Small Emerald*
Engrailed
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Small Rivulet
Copper Underwing
Snout
Black Arches
Small Angle Shades
Heart and Dart
Kent Black Arches
Orange Footman
Straw Dot
Ear Moth
Fan-foot
Dusky Sallow
Olive
Common Emerald
Elephant Hawk-moth
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Dark Sword-grass
Least Carpet
Miller
Peppered Moth
Spruce Carpet
Herald
Green Arches*
Poplar Hawk-moth
Dark Umber
Common Lutestring
Bright-line Brown-eye
Blood Vein
Grey Dagger
Common Carpet
Beautiful Hook-tip
Willow Beauty
Small Yellow Wave
Uncertain
Scalloped Hook-tip
Swallow-tail moth

Waved Black

Snout

Small Emerald

Catoptria pinella

Orange Footman, Dunbar, and Kent Black Arches

Herald

Dark Sword-grass

Blood Vein

Dusky Sallow

Beautiful Carpet