17th July 2014 . New county macro moth

Warm and humid conditions of late have seen the traps absolutely crawling with creatures, mostly moths.
An electrical storm with accompanying torrential rain at around 2am put a damper on proceedings but by then I had already racked up a good selection.
The undoubted highlight was a county first macro moth ....
KENT BLACK ARCHES, normally found on the south coast around to the East Anglian coast but appears to be slowly spreading inland.
Two female OAK EGGAR, one captured, one flying around the trap were followed by a stunning male inside the trap on the morning inspection.
Males are rarely seen, females are annual in the garden.
below :-
2076 Kent Black Arches

above:-
Would you care to dance ?  1637 Oak Eggar
below:-
No !

Too late mate, note the egg that rolled out of the capture pot .. top left
moving on ...
More year firsts ...
1978 ... PINE HAWK-MOTH

It was in pristine condition, but took the full force of the deluge as it sat below the gap in the skinner trap.
below ... A site first micro that will require gen det, either way it's a site first
My pick is ... 844 Syncopacma larseniella but it could equally be
847 . Syncopacma taeniolella

below ..
1380 . Phlyctaenia perlucidalis

1645 . Scalloped Hook-tip

2003 . Pebble Prominent

16th July
Year list additions
0873 . Blastobasis adustella
1108 . Lobesia obscisana
1304 . Agriphila straminella
2303 . Straw Underwing
The second generation of Toadflax Brocade is on the wing with singles on 16th and 17th ...
below:-
Toadflax Brocade

1108 . Lobesia obscesana

13th July 2011...Release The Dells 4

A chilly night for the time of year, but although the trap yield was lower than usual, there was still some quality moths around.
Pre 2010, only 8 Small Ranunculus were recorded in VC30, but in 2010 I recorded 17 of them.
This year, so far, I have recorded 15 and even posted some to Skev up in Leicestershire (^_"
So it looks as though this "come back" species is thriving and spreading further north at a nice rate....time will tell, keep your eyes peeled Stewart in Northumberland !
Last night I recorded 4 SMALL RANUNCULUS 2165 , a record high.
A first record of SCALLOPED HOOK-TIP was a welcome sight in the trap. It's been a while since one of these turned up, RED TWIN-SPOT CARPET My third SANDY CARPET this year. The small town of SANDY in Bedfordshire is 3 miles away as the moth flies. A fresh batch of RUBY TIGER are out in force right now.

This is one of SIX caught last night.