20th Oct 2014 ... Least expected

1699 Least Carpet 20/10/2014

This has been a topsy-turvy year for moth records.
My garden traps over the last 3 days have had the county recorders rewriting the record books.
Buff Ermine, Swallow-tailed Moth on the 18th Oct and last night I added a pristine Heart and Dart plus a Least Carpet !
Maybe there is still hope for Brindled Pug, a notable absentee from my garden year list back in April/May, I think not.
Trap results for 20th Oct ....
2 traps, placed under covers at 11p.m.
10.7 deg C minimum. Breezy/overcast turning to gales/rain from 2 a.m.
0464 Plutella xylostella, 1
0674 Depressaria badiella, 1, possibly... To be confirmed

0998 Epiphyas postvittana, 3
1415 Orthopygia glaucinalis, 1, (Now Hypsopygia glaucinalis)
1524 Emmelina monodactyla, 1
1699 Least Carpet, 1
1764 Common Marbled Carpet, 1
2089 Heart and Dart, 1

2089 Heart and Dart, 20/10/2014

2092, Shuttle-shaped Dart, 4
2232 Black Rustic, 1
2240 Blair's Shoulder-knot, 1
2306 Angle Shades, 5
2375 Large Wainscot, 1

2375 Large Wainscot, 20/10/2014

2306 Angle Shades, 20/10/2014

15th June 2014 .. Metzneria metzneriella .. #250

Moth species no. 250 for the year ... 726 Metzneria metzneriella
Unless a couple of pending gen dets prove otherwise that is.

The day of the 15th June started off on a good note with my 11th garden butterfly ...
RINGLET

Apart from the Metzneria, 4 more moth species were added to the evergrowing year list which is at present, 89 ahead of 2013.
It could be a record breaking year if the weather conditions remain favourable.

965 COCHYLIS HYBRIDELLA ...

1294 CRAMBUS PASCUELLA ...

1699 LEAST CARPET ...

2318 DUN-BAR ...

Also a Eudonia, which I'm calling "mercurella" but not counting yet until confirmed ...

1344 EUDONIA MERCURELLA
surely !

2nd/3rd Oct 2013 ... A few late moths, a computer glitch, nostalgia and David Mannings' bicycle

For some reason I can't update the WINE RACE or edit profiles.
Well I can edit, but as soon as I hit the "save" button, I get "javascript void (0)" appear and it won't update.
Don't know why this has started happening as I am "the last of the good old fashioned steam powered trains" (line from a Kinks song) and the first of the National Health (R.I.P.) babies, computers are not really my bag man.
A sudden wave of nostalgia and regret has swept over me ....
Below, the humble Farthing ...

.... this Farthing was minted in my birth year, notice the quality, and also notice the design.
Much better than todays complicated whirls and swirls that you need to "google" to find out what they represent.
A simple Wren, tasteful and instantly recognisable AND no need to pay some arty farty designer  thousands of (taxpayers) pounds for some obscure artistic regional representation.
Design and quality of todays coins are sadly lacking.
Speaking of quality ....
Below, David Mannings' bicycle, still in pristine condition ...

Anyway, back to the moths
2nd Oct
A late 2nd generation Least Carpet turned up on the trap, the second one recorded this autumn.
Mallow and Barred Sallow may have been a return visit of the moths recorded the previous evening.

1699 ... Least Carpet

Pale Mottled Willow numbers hit an all-time high last night with 28 in one trap

2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow

Sallows brighten up the autumn trap

2272 ... Barred Sallow

3rd Oct
Very warm with showers, min temp.. 14.2 deg C
Mallow x 2
Gypsonoma sociana

1168 ... Gypsonoma sociana

Common Marbled Carpet
Garden Carpet
Common Pug

1834 ... Common Pug ... Epithecia vulgata

Willow Beauty x 2
Hypsopygia costalis
Emmelina monodactyla x 2
Square-spot Rustic
Black Rustic
Eudonia angustea
Turnip Moth
Endrosis sarcitrella
Large Ranunculus
Angle Shades x 4
Mouse Moth
Beaded Chestnut
Yellow-line Quaker
Large Yellow Underwing x 18
Lesser Yellow Underwing x 13
Setaceous Hebrew Character x 23
Pale Mottled Willow x 8
Vine's Rustic
.........
Last of the Steam Powered Trains... The Kinks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuQJmhzT3qQ

20th Sept. 2013 ... Least said .....

Not much to get the pulse started around the traps.
Lunar Underwing numbers hit an all-time garden high with 32, (20 and 12 in the two traps)
Plenty of Large Yellow Underwing still, looking a little jaded and Pale Mottled Willow numbers are increasing.
A Least Carpet was a surprise catch as I thought they had finished weeks ago.

1699 ... Least Carpet ... Idaea rusticata

0985 ... Cacoecimorpha pronubana

0998 ... Epiphyas postvittana x 2

1048 ... Acleris variegana x 3

1309 ... Agriphila geniculea

1699 ... Least Carpet

1707 ... Small Dusty Wave

1728 ... Garden Carpet x 2

1825 ... Lime-speck Pug

1862 ... Double-striped Pug

1937 ... Willow Beauty x 5

1961 ... Light Emerald

2087 ... Turnip Moth x 3

2107 ... Large Yellow Underwing x 42

2109 ... Lesser Yellow Underwing x 9

2126 ... Setaceous Hebrew Character x 12

2134 ... Square-spot Rustic x 3

2199 ... Common Wainscot

2232 ... Black Rustic x 3

2252 ... Large Ranunculus x 2

2270 ... Lunar Underwing x 32

2353 ... Flounced Rustic x 3

2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow x 23

2441 ... Silver Y x 2

2477 ... The Snout

6th July 2013 ... At Least a Carpet, giving it Large

The start of a hot spell which may go on for two weeks according to the weatherman.
A little disappointing around the traps given the warm evening with just 3 species to add to the year list, but still a nice selection.***
A RED ADMIRAL butterfly during the day was the first one seen in the garden this year.
Trap result :-

0470 ... Orthotelia sparganella ........ Whoa !  

470 ... Orthotelia sparganella

The above ID is a total cock-up as it bears no resemblance to O. sparganella apart from the wing tips angled inwards at 2/3rds.
Thanks to Mark Skevington for pointing out a worn Ptycholoma lecheana..........

Here's another crap photo of the moth that is slightly better than the first crap photo

0642 ... Batia unitella
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella ... 2
0994 ... Clepsis consimilana ... 3
1000 ... Ptycholoma lecheana
1010 ... Ditula angustiorana ... 3
1115 ... Ancylis achatana ... YF

1261 ... Cydia pomonella
1273 ... Dichrorampha petiverella
1294 ... Crambus pascuella ... 2
1338 ... Dipleurina lacustrata
1390 ... Udea prunalis
1428 ... Aphomia sociella ... 2
1474 ... Ephestia unicolorella
1481 ... Homoeosoma sinuella
1669 ... Common Emerald
1699 ... Least Carpet ... YF

1699 ... Least Carpet

1713 ... Riband Wave ... 3
1728 ... Garden Carpet
1742 ... Yellow Shell
1834 ... Common Pug ... 4
1860 ... Green Pug
1862 ... Double-striped Pug ... 2
1906 ... Brimstone Moth ... 2
1958 ... Clouded Silver ... 2
1980 ... Eyed Hawk-moth
2050 ... Common Footman ... 4
2088 ... Heart and Club ... 4
2089 ... Heart and Dart ... 15
2098 ... The Flame ... 2
2102 ... Flame Shoulder
2155 ... Dot Moth
2160 ... Bright-line Brown-eye ... 2
2170 ... Varied Coronet
2278 ... Poplar Grey
2280 ... The Miller ... 2
2283/4. Dark/Grey Dagger agg. ... 3
2321 ... Dark Arches ... 4
2322 ... Light Arches
2381 ... Uncertain ... 5
2477 ... The Snout
2489 ... The Fan-foot ... 3
*** A nice surprise, as one of the potted up moths that I forgot to check was a Large Twin-spot Carpet, a garden first.
On its last legs, it died shortly after capture .... 

Large Twin-spot Carpet

26th June 2012 ... Dot co.

16 deg min. warm, humid with a moderate breeze
A few more newcomers for the year were recorded last night, Dot Moth, Double Square-spot, Elephant Hawk-moth, Bordered Pug, Dwarf Cream Wave, Middle-barred Minor, Toadflax Pug and Least Carpet.
Epiblema uddmanniana was the latest micro....is it still an Epiblema ? The new micro book has thrown me a bit !
Just checked..... it has become a Notocelia.
Notoproblem

Notocelia uddmanniana

0229 Monopis obviella 1
0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 6
0787 Bryotropha terrella 2
0994 Clepsis consimilana 4
0998 Epipiphyas postvittana 1
1175 Epiblema uddmanniana 1 ... (Notocelia udd.) year first
1159 Rhopobota naevana .. Holly Tortrix 1, year first
1261 Cydia pomonella 2
1301 Crambus lathoniellus 8
1344 Eudonia mercurella 2
1474 Ephestia parasitella 10
1481 Homoeosoma sinuella 2
1524 Emmelina monodactyla 1
1690 Small Blood-vein 1
1699 Least Carpet 2, year first (Below)

Least Carpet

1705 Dwarf Cream Wave 1, year first (Below)

1707 Small Dusty Wave 1
1713 Riband Wave 1
1728 Garden Carpet 2
1742 Yellow Shell 2
1816 Toadflax Pug 2, year first (Below)

1827 Freyer's Pug 3
1834 Common Pug 11
1837 Grey Pug 1
1839 Bordered Pug 1, year first
1860 Green Pug 1
1931 Peppered Moth 1
1937 Willow Beauty 5
1991 Elephant Hawk-moth 1, Year first (Below)

2050 Common Footman 4
2061 Buff Ermine 1
2087 Turnip Moth 3
2088 Heart & Club 6
2089 Heart & Dart 17
2092 Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
2098 Flame 4
2107 Large Yellow Underwing 9
2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing 2
2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
2128 Double Square-spot 2, year first
2154 Cabbage Moth 1
2155 Dot Moth 1, year first (Below)

2170 Varied Coronet 1
2278 Poplar Grey 2
2302 Brown Rustic 1, (Below) 

2321 Dark Arches 22
2322 Light Arches 2
2333 Large Nutmeg 16
2337agg. Marbled Minor 7
2340 Middle-barred Minor 1, year first
2381 Uncertain 8
2389 Pale Mottled Willow 5
2434 Burnished Brass 1
2441 Silver Y 2
2489 Fan-foot 4


4 unidentified micros for the Recorder

21st June....Cream of the Crop

The gusty wind blew in some interesting moths to the garden last night, among them this CREAM-BORDERED GREEN PEA 2418

Don't know what this is...probably a Common Rustic agg. Size is ok.

Any suggestions (mothwise) welcome ?????????????????????

This one is a DOUBLE SQUARE-SPOT 2128, but a Triple-spotted Clay is easily missed as the markings are just about identical,,,see Matts blog, he's got pics of both. CELYPHA LACUNANA 1076 the wind kept the micro count well down last night.

Almost unbelievable....My second GRASS RIVULET 1807,

THE CLAY 2193,

BURNISHED BRASS 2434, quite a worn bedraggled example, but a year tick.

LEAST CARPET 1699 My 3rd so far, with a few more to follow no doubt. 1 x Cream-bordered Green Pea ** garden first

2 x Garden Carpet

1 x Bright-line Brown-eye

16 x Common Footman

2 x Scarce Footman

3 x Riband Wave

1 x Peppered Moth

15 x Uncertain

11 x Heart and Dart

3 x Heart and Club

12 x Dark Arches

3 x Light Arches

4 x Buff Ermine

2 x Common Wainscot

1 x Smoky Wainscot

1 x Elephant Hawk-moth

1 x Privet Hawk-moth

2 x Marbled Minor agg.

3 x Willow Beauty

2 x Dwarf Cream Wave

1 x The Miller

1 x Yellow Shell

5 x Pale Mottled Willow

4 x The Flame

1 x The Lackey

1 x Least Carpet

1 x The Clay * year first

1 x Burnished Brass * year first

1 x Common Emerald

1 x Grass Rivulet

1 x Double Square-spot

3 x Eudonia mercurella

1 x Clepsis consimilana

3 x Ephestia parasitella

2 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

2 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Epiblema uddmanniana

3 x Cnephasia agg.

2 x Aphomia sociella

1 x Celypha lacunana

262 species to date, 162 macro, 100 micro

22nd & 23rd July...Hark the Herald

Heavy showers on Thursday and a cold night for Friday slowed things down. 3 traps were set for my usual Friday night blitz and an illuminated sheet but my half hourly patrols didnt produce too much. Plenty of Common Rustic aggs. and the next generation Buff Ermines, which are a richer colour than the last white batch. My 2nd Herald for the year was a welcome sight, one of my favourite moths................
...............................................
...............................................
HERALD

LEAST CARPET

SCARCE FOOTMAN...again no Common Footman

BUFF ERMINE

LIME-SPECK PUG

A brace of POPLAR HAWKMOTHS...ready for the off

FLOUNCED RUSTIC

NUT-TREE TUSSOCK

15th July.... Wet and windy

It was a miracle anything could fly last night in the strong wind and showers, but 17 species of macro turned up in and around the trap including this game little LEAST CARPET

CLAY

LACKEY....a regular in my garden

SALLOW KITTEN

CLOAKED MINOR