29th July 2014 ... Garden Moths latest

Another new macro moth for the garden list ...
Small Rufous

Latest selection ...
28th July
0862 ... Juniper Webber
1690 ... Small Blood-vein
1816 ... Toadflax Pug
1830 ... Wormwood Pug x 4
1749 ... Dark Spinach ... was a garden first the previous evening.
This one is fresher with better defined markings ...

2089 ... Heart and Dart .... thought they had finished
2134 ... Square-spot Rustic ... year first

2193 ... Clay
2289 ... Knot Grass
2299 ... Mouse Moth
2450 ... Spectacle
2469 ... Herald

29th July
0862 Juniper Webber, Dichomeris marginella
1838 Tawny Speckled Pug, year first

almost missed it against the brick wall

1914 Dusky Thorn, year first

2165 Small Ranunculus
2292 Tree-lichen Beauty
2379 Small Rufous, garden first.

What is this Bee ?

on Spear Thistle

27th July 2014 .. New for garden .. Dark Spinach

The first site record of Dark Spinach was found on the dining room curtain near the patio door ....

... still a "garden first" tho.

A selection of catch :-
26th July
0462 ... Ypsolopha scabrella
1113 ... Eudemis profundana
1207 ... Clavigesta purdeyi

1354 ... Cataclysta lemnata
1673 ... Small Emerald
1724 ... Red Twin-spot Carpet
2003 ... Pebble Prominent
2006 ... Lesser Swallow Prominent

2030 ... Yellow-tail
2126 ... Setaceous Hebrew Character
2223 ... Toadflax Brocade

27th July
0303 ... Parornix anglicella, tbc
0455 ... Ypsolopha scabrella
801a ... Gelechia senticetella

1331 ... Acentria ephemerella x 300+
1415 ... Orthopygia glaucinalis
1425 ... Galleria mellonella

1749 ... Dark Spinach
1981 ... Poplar Hawk-moth
2087 ... Turnip Moth
2092 ... Shuttle-shaped Dart x 48
2112 ... Least Yellow Underwing
2343x . Common Rustic agg x 28
2382 ... Rustic

above ... Ledra aurita
an odd looking, large leaf-hopper that is a regular at my traps at this time of year

23/4th July ... Garden Moths update

A few more for the garden year list ...
Nice to see my 3rd Black Arches, not many of these country woodland boys come to town.....

888 Mompha propinquella
New for year and present most years in ones and twos ...

Others for 23rd ...
Burnished Brass
Garden, Common and Red Twin-spot Carpet
Oak Eggar
Clouded Border
Campion
Dingy Footman
With the usual brown stuff including a melanic form of Copper Underwing, not seen in the garden before ...

24th July
Amblyptilia acanthadactyla was missed in the spring for the first time, but a 2nd gen. moth turned up in the trap last night ...

Pandemis corylana was another newbie

And last but also Least ... Least Yellow Underwing ..

Others on 24th
Eudemis profundana
Poplar Hawk-moth
Pale Prominent
Small Ranunculus
Straw Dot
Campion
Silver Y
Bordered Pug
Yarrow Pug escaped from pot so won't count.
I took a snap of it on the wall which didn't show much detail in the glare of the flash ...

Lastly, a Leopard Moth ...

22nd July 2014 ... Plain sailing ...

Plain Pug has been around in numbers of late and thanks to the moth'ers who have been posting their pics, it made it easy to recognise my very first garden Plain Pug.

Lots of brown stuff in the traps that I have stopped counting for a while.
Shuttle-shaped Darts, Common Rustic aggs, Dark Arches, Yellow Underwings with Copper and Straw Underwings.
Instead I have just jotted down a selection with the emphasis on newcomers and the uncommon.
Selected Species:-
0294 Aspilapteryx tringipennella
0947 Aethes smeathmanniana
0964 Cochylis dubitana
1212 Rhyacionia pinicolana
1260 Cydia splendana
1348 Parapoynx stratiotata
1371 Sitachroa verticalis
1417 Pyralis farinalis
1637 Oak Eggar
1646 Oak Hook-tip (female)
1690 Small Bloodvein x 3
1702 Small Fan-footed Wave
1726 Large Twin-spot Carpet
1803 Small Rivulet
1816 Toadflax Pug
1830 Wormwood Pug
1842 Plain Pug
1858 V-pug
1862 Double-striped Pug
1894 Latticed Heath
1922 Swallow-tailed Moth
2009 Maple Prominent
2165 Small Ranunculus
2223 Toadflax Brocade
2289 Knot Grass
2292 Tree-lichen Beauty
2352 Dusky Sallow
2377 Fen Wainscot

Top to Bottom:-
Aethes smeathmanniana
Pyralis farinalis
Toadflax Brocade
Latticed Heath
Tree-lichen Beauty
Fen Wainscot

21st July 2014 .. Another County first macro ....

Two new Bedfordshire VC30 macro records in 5 days !
The first was Kent Black Arches on the 17th, and I followed it up last night with a Sharp-angled Peacock.
I took a couple of shots of it in the trap before it flew off when I removed a sheet of perspex.

Not the best of pics but enough for our county recorders to confirm and accept.

20th July 2014 ... Likin' the lichen

Still hectic around the garden traps as temperatures remain high.
There has been a huge influx of Diamond-back moths over the last few days with 10+ recorded for the last 4 nights, and that is a conservative estimate.
Another migrant from last night was a Tree-lichen Beauty, attracted to the 15watt BLB on the shed wall, one to look out for....

above ... Tree-lichen Beauty on the garden shed window.

It's been a lazy week recording-wise as there have been too many moths to deal with so I've just "cherry picked" a few each evening, mainly new moths for the garden year, plus a few.

On the 18th it was again warm and sultry with a brief but heavy shower.
4 micros were added to the garden list and many more were potted up for our county micro recorder to identify....
462 . YPSOLOPHA SEQUELLA

877 . STATHMOPODA PEDELLA

1113 . EUDEMIS PROFUNDANA

1415 . ORTHOPYGIA GLAUCINALIS

19th
Warm, humid
Two micros that I will get confirmed.
The first one could be 274 . BUCCULATRIX ULMELLA

or maybe a worn B. thoracella

The 2nd I think is 1274 . DICHRORAMPHA ALPINANA

No problem with 1350 . NYMPHULA STAGNATA

20th
Warm, humid
294 . ASPILAPTERYX TRINGIPENNELLA

2299 . MOUSE MOTH

Others:-
18th
0746 .. Chrysoesthia drurella
1653 .. Buff Arches
2425 .. Nut-tree Tussock
19th
50 plus Lyonetia clerkella
20 plus Cameraria ohridella
c20 ..... Plutella xylostella
12 x Cydia splendana, highest count on record for garden.
1648 .. Pebble Hook-tip
2031 .. White Satin
2165 .. Small Ranunculus
2289 .. Knot Grass
2421 .. Scarce Silver-lines
2425 .. Nut-tree Tussock
20th
1637 .. Oak Eggar, female
1724 .. Red Twin-spot Carpet
1825 .. Lime-speck Pug
1917 .. Early Thorn x 3
1976 .. Privet Hawk-moth
2044 .. Dingy Footman
2092 .. Shuttle-shaped Dart x c30 (numbers increasing)
2165 .. Small Ranunculus
2280 .. Miller
2475 .. Nut-tree Tussock

above ... SMALL RANUNCULUS, well marked and in pristine condition, from the trap last night.

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