18th Oct 2014 ... You're late !

This unseasonal warm weather has certainly confused the insect world.
Another Buff Ermine turned up which is possibly the same one I released 3 days ago.
Compare the markings.com and it looks very similar.
But Swallow-tailed Moth is another entry to the VC30 late list, just waiting for confirmation.
Speaking of warm weather ...
Can you hear that distant whine drifting across the English Channel ?
It's the Energy Company leeches moaning that they are not selling enough gas and their annual extortionate profits are down.
Ok, they are not all French.
"Nous devrons augmenter nos prix" I hear them moan.
Yes, you probably will increase your prices but you do that on the "supply and demand" basis too.  Where is eff offgas when you need them ? Oh well, pay up (shrug)
Give it a week or two and we will all be huddled around the heating (^_*)

18th Oct
Epiphyas postvittana 4
Ditula angustiorana 1
Emmelina monodactyla 2
November Moth agg. 1, year first

November Moth (agg)

Swallow-tailed Moth, 1
Buff Ermine, 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart, 3
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2
Blair's Shoulder-knot, 3
Yellow-line Quaker, 1
Angle Shades, 2

Swallow-tailed Moth

Buff Ermine

I've found a couple of these odd looking grubs around the garden, not knowing what they were.
Fortunately, Mark Skevington posted one on his blog and I now know that it is a Hover-fly larva.

This one is the red form of Syrphus ribesii most likely, a common garden species.
Mark has an excellent blog if anyone is interested in creepy crawlies and nature in general .... http://skevsblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Garden Orb Spiders ( Araneus diadematus) are everywhere at the moment.
This one seems to have taken on the colour of the brick wall it frequents..

18th Sept 2014 ... Moth Traps catch list

A very warm evening, 16 deg with cloud cover and high humidity.
A sharp shower during the night soaked the egg boxes in the traps but there were some interesting moths present.
A year first Deep-brown Dart was a good find as they are scarce in my garden.

Deep-brown Dart

And a probable year last Swallow-tailed Moth was unexpected.

Swallow-tailed Moth

The Catch:-
Caloptillia rufipennella, 1
Cameraria ohridella, 10
Plutella xylostella, 6
Carcina quercana, 4
Clepsis consimilana, 1
Epiphyas postvittana, 2
Acleris variegana, 3
Agriphila geniculea, 3
Eudonia angustea, 2
Hypsopygia costalis, 1
Emmelina monodactyla, 3

Small Emerald, 1
Small Blood-vein, 2
Small Dusty Wave, 1
Garden Carpet, 1
Yellow Shell, 1
Grey Pine Carpet, 1
Swallow-tailed Moth, 1
Willow Beauty, 6
Light Emerald, 1
Turnip Moth, 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart, 5
Large Yellow Underwing, 30
Lesser Yellow Underwing, 9
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character, 4
Square-spot Rustic, 3
Small Ranunculus, 1
Nutmeg, 1
Common Wainscot, 4
Deep-brown Dart, year first, 1
Lunar Underwing, 13
Angle Shades, 2
Vine's Rustic, 4
Pale Mottled Willow, 12

I've always had a soft spot for Hedgehogs, so I was thrilled to see 3 babies that had ventured forth from the compost heap for their first forage around the garden

All were returned to the nearby nest after the photo shoot and I will have to be careful where I tread for a few nights.

Grey Pine Carpet

Thanks Ben Sale .... I originally posted the above as Spruce Carpet 

12th June 2014 .. Grey and Poplar

Very warm again last night but no cloud cover for the bright full moon.
A great chance arose to get a group comparison shot of a Sycamore, a larger, dark form Sycamore f. infuscata and a Poplar Grey.
All three of these moths are reasonably common in The Dells garden ...

... and I couldn't have asked for a more cooperative pose.
left, Sycamore f. infuscata.. center, Sycamore .. right, Poplar Grey.
Pleased with that.

Year first moths for the garden list also please me and a few more turned up last night ...
1033 ... Tortrix viridana
1328 ... Schoenobius gigantella
1331 ... Acentria ephemerella
1354 ... Cataclysta lemnata
1998 ... Poplar Kitten
2155 ... Dot Moth

I forgot to include a Swallow-tailed Moth on the previous nights list, but another turned up ...

Poplar Kitten is uncommon in the garden, this one is the 2nd or 3rd in 5 years.

On the other hand, this DOT MOTH is present in good numbers anually ...

Below ...
Schoenobius gigantella
Cataclysta lemnata, Small China-mark

Not too sure of the ID of this Eudonia/Scoparia

Or this Pug ...

27 mm wingspan, probably Freyer's Pug
and the other could be Eudonia angustea.
Almost forgot ...
Single-dotted Wave, another year first ...

4th July 2013 ... Two Swallows, a summer doth make

Swallow-tailed Moth ....

1922 ... Swallow-tailed Moth ... Ourapteryx sambucaria

Swallow Prominent of the Lesser kind ...

2006 ... Lesser Swallow Prominent ... Pheosia gnoma

4th July catch ...
0642 ... Batia unitella ... YF
0648 ... Endrosis sarcitrella ... White-shouldered House-moth ... 3
0905 ... Blastodacna hellerella ... Hawthorn Cosmet ... YF

0964 ... Cochylis dubitana
0970 ... Pandemis cerasana ... Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix ... YF

1010 ... Ditula angustiorana ... Red-barred Tortrix
1033 ... Tortrix viridana ... Green Oak Tortrix
1474 ... Ephestia unicolorella ... 3
1481 ... Homoesoma sinuella
1673 ... Small Emerald
1713 ... Riband Wave ... 2
1728 ... Garden Carpet ... 2
1758 ... Barred Straw ... YF

1764 ... Common Marbled Carpet
1817 ... Foxglove Pug
1834 ... Common Pug ... 6
1860 ... Green Pug
1922 ... Swallow-tailed Moth ... YF
1931 ... Peppered Moth
1937 ... Willow Beauty ... 4
1976 ... Privet Hawk-moth
1991 ... Elephant Hawk-moth
1992 ... Small Elephant Hawk-moth
1994 ... Buff-tip
2006 ... Lesser Swallow Prominent
2050 ... Common Footman ... 3
2061 ... Buff Ermine ... 2
2069 ... Cinnabar ... 2
2088 ... Heart and Club ... 6
2089 ... Heart and Dart ... 20
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart
2098 ... The Flame ... 3
2107 ... Large Yellow Underwing ... 2
2109 ... Lesser Yellow Underwing
2128 ... Double Square-spot ... 2
2160 ... Bright-line Brown-eye
2164 ... Broad-barred White ... 3
2170 ... Varied Coronet
2279 ... Sycamore
2280 ... Miller ... 2
2283/4. Dark/Grey Dagger agg. ... 4
2321 ... Dark Arches ... 4
2337/9. Marbled Minor agg. ... 4
2381 ... The Uncertain
2389 ... Pale Mottled Willow ... 3
2441 ... Silver Y
2477 ... Snout
2489 ... Fan-foot ... 3
Plus 2 micros for ID.

27th June 2012 ... Easy to Swallow

Four Swallow-tailed moths homed in on the traps on a rare warm and humid night.

c200 moths of 71 species and hours of sorting !

0647 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 4

0964 Cochylis dubitana 1

0994 Clepsis consimilana 3

1063 Celypha striana 3

1216 Enarmonia formosana 1

1261 Cydia pomonella 3

1293 Chrysoteuchia culmella 2. year first

1294 Crambus pascuella 2, year first

1301 Crambus lathoniella 2

1344 Eudonia mercurella 2

1361 Pyrausta aurata 1

1371 Sitochroa verticalis 1, year first

1376 Eurrhypara hortulata 1

1392 Udea olivalis 2

1415 Orthopygia glaucinalis 1, year first (Below)

1428 Aphomia sociella 8

1474 Ephestia parasitella 12

1481 Homoeosoma sinuella 1

1497 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1

1524 Emmelina monodactyla 3

1654 Figure of Eighty 1

1669 Common Emerald 1 year first (Below)

1711 Treble Brown Spot 1

1713 Riband Wave 4

1728 Garden Carpet 3

1742 Yellow Shell 2

1764 Common Marbled Carpet 1

1816 Toadflax Pug 1

1830 Wormwood Pug 1 year first (Below) ... (Ben ?) 

1834 Common Pug 6

1860 Green Pug 1

1922 Swallow-tailed Moth 4, year first, (Below)

1937 Willow Beauty 9

1958 Clouded Silver 1

1976 Privet Hawk-moth 3

1994 Buff-tip 1

2047 Scarce Footman 2 year first, (Below)

2050 Common Footman 6

2088 Heart & Club 6

2089 Heart & Dart 18

2098 Flame 2

2107 Large Yellow Underwing 1

2109 Lesser Yellow Underwing

2126 Setaceous Hebrew Character 2

2128 Double Square-spot 1

2147 Shears 1

2155 Dot Moth 1

2164 Broad-barred White 1

2279 Sycamore 2

2278 Poplar Grey 1

2280 Miller 3

2283/4 Grey Dagger agg.

2321 Dark Arches 13

2322 Light Arches 1

2333 Large Nutmeg 12

2337x Marbled Minor agg. 4

2381 Uncertain 10

2382 Rustic 1

2384 Vine's Rustic 2

2441 Silver Y 1

2474 Straw Dot 1, year first

2489 Fan-foot 5

7th July 2011...Global cooling

Hope you all enjoyed our Summer this april !
The garden species are trickling in but it's too fresh and cold for a bumper night at the moment and not much improvement expected for the next few days at least...........................
FIGURE of EIGHTY 1654 attracted to my patio door blacklight

SWALLOW-TAILED MOTH 1922

THE SPECTACLE 2450 The most photographed front end in the mothing world.

UNCERTAIN 2381

THE RUSTIC 2382 7th June :-

4 x Willow Beauty

2 x Shuttle-shaped Dart

15 x Heart & Dart

1 x Buff Ermine

1 x Brimstone Moth

3 x Common Footman

8 x Dark Arches

2 x Large Nutmeg

1 x Flame Shoulder

1 x Swallow-tailed Moth * year first

1 x Figure of Eighty * year first

1 x Setaceous Hebrew Character

1 x The Spectacle * year first

1 x The Rustic * year first

4 x Uncertain

1 x Vine's Rustic

2 x Turnip Moth

1 x Marbled Minor agg.

1 x Small Dusty Wave

6 x Large Pugs Common/Grey ?

2 x Aphomia sociella

3 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

1 x Pempeliella dilutella

3 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Ephestia parasitella

1 x Ditula angustiorana

1 x Eurrhypara hortulata

2 x Celypha striana

1 x Eudonia angustea

1 x Eudonia mercurella

1 x Cnephasia agg.

Garden running total :-

226 species.....135 macro, 91 micro