13th June ... Cypress Tip Moth mystery

Drizzle all night.
Trap covers on.
Not so many moths around last night, they prefer proper rain to fine drizzle.
It was still quite warm though and 20+ species were recorded.

Sitochroa verticalis was added to the garden year list along with Cnephasia incertana (confirmation needed), but the addition of Argyresthia cupressella raised a few questions.
Although it is tiny, it is easily identified.
The bright white head stands out and there are distinct black markings near the wing fringe.
This moth was first discovered in 1997, apparently brought over from North America with its food plant.
It feeds on Cypress's, Juniper's and their cultivars and is now rapidly spreading through the UK, not on the same scale as Cameraria ohridella but it is now well established, eg 30+ in Norfolk and records north of Bedfordshire, 2 in Northants, and further records in surrounding countys.
The question is ... Why, in my Biggleswade town garden, am I the only one to record it in VC30 ?
In 2012 I chalked up the first VC30 record, in 2013 the second, 2014 the third record and now the 4th and 5th record in 2015 with possibly more to come.
That defies all logic.
I can only assume it is being overlooked as it could easily be missed in amongst large numbers of A. trifasciata, C. ohridella, A. goedartella for example, and nobody is bothering to look a little closer, or these tiny micros are simply being ignored.
Either way, I can't believe that I have the VC30 franchise on these neat little moths.

13/06/2015 . . Argyresthia cupressella, BF 409b 

Below:
Sitochroa verticalis, quite a worn example, with a shot of the underside.

Below:
Cnephasia incertana, This one will need checking to be sure.

31st May 2014 ... Argyresthia cupressella plus "Brindle" ID help needed. (Juniper Pug should read Juniper Carpet)

There are only 3 records of Argyresthia cupressella for the Bedfordshire VC30 county and all from my garden !
This little moth, like lots of the tiny micros, has probably been overlooked or ignored by the majority of garden moth trappers.
My next door neighbour has a couple of Cypress cultivars as do a few others in the street which is the food plant along with Junipers which probably explains my annual record of Juniper Pug.
First seen in England in 1997, this attractive little micro is spreading its range northwards and into Wales, its most Northerly location is NE Northern Ireland and remains the only NI record.
At 5mm in length it is difficult to spot especially amongst other Argyresthia species like the many pruniella and goedartella that regularly turn up in my garden.
Fortunately, this one was a loner and quite easy to spot and identify....

Above ... Argyresthia cupressella  and just to be certain, confirmation received from Mr D.V. Manning, county recorder for micro moths.
The brown blotches on this example are darker than the previous two which were a washed out orangey colour.
And now for something completely different ... more moths.
New for 2014 ...
UDEA OLIVALIS below..

HEDYA PRUNIANA below ..

TREBLE-BAR below

CINNABAR MOTH below

This is one I often get wrong but here goes ...
SMALL SQUARE-SPOT

Just to point out that my regular ID mistakes are confined to the blog. Any doubtful ID's are run past our county recorders for confirmation before being entered into my records and obviously theirs.
Most of my blog entries are entered unchecked hence the odd mistake.
This is due to shape dislexia with a dash of myopia.
Any corrections are welcome as always and the occasional humerous sarcastic comment is always taken in good heart (don't forget I know where you all live)
Having said that, I have a moth here which I always have trouble with.
An Apamea species.
It's the "Brindles" and Dusky Brocade group.
The moth below is smaller than Dusky Brocade, sizewise it is spot on for Small Clouded Brindle but looks too dark.
Any offers ?
This group is quite scarce in my garden so I don't get to see many if any to familiarise myself ...

above ... SMALL CLOUDED BRINDLE ?
A year on ...
Having now seen a few of these I am satisfied that it is a Small Clouded Brindle.

Not new, but two of these impossible to pronounce moths were found near the traps .... Hetheth methetheth pethetheth rugosana ...

above, PHTHEOCHROA RUGOSANA

6th June 2011....Argy bargy, new county micro

Star moth from last nights garden trapping was undoubtedly this Argyresthia cupressella 409b. Originating in Western United States and first noted here in 1997. This is the first VC30 record. Many thanks to county micro recorder David Manning for confirming the ID and the information on the species. A garden first Hawthorn Moth, Scythropia crataegella 0450 ALEIMMA LOEFLINGIANA 1032 caught at 10.32 coincidentally ! EUDONIA MERCURELLA 1344....... year first visitor ELEPHANT HAWK-MOTH 1991.... year first record Caught using the "laid back" method, a Timothy Tortrix.

APHELIA PALEANA 0989 My second BARRED STRAW 1758 6th June :-

2 x Buff Ermine

29 x Heart & Dart

3 x Marbled Minor agg.

1 x Riband Wave

1 x Common Emerald

1 x Green Silver-lines

2 x Grey Dagger agg.

2 x Turnip Moth

2 x Dark Arches

1 x Elephant Hawk-moth * year first

1 x Scalloped Hazel

1 x Barred Straw

1 x Garden Carpet

2 x The Flame

1 x The Snout

3 x Mottled Rustic

1 x Brimstone Moth

1 x Common Footman

3 x Cinnabar

1 x Peppered Moth

6 x Large Nutmeg

4 x Willow Beauty

1 x The Miller

8 x Uncertain

1 x Brown Rustic

1 x Small Dusty Wave

3 x Double-striped Pug

3 x Common or Grey Pug ( I really can't tell them apart )

4 x Emmelina monodactyla

2 x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

3 x Aphemia sociella

4 x Ephestia parasitella

1 x Epiphyas postvittana

1 x Aleimma loeflingiana * year first

1 x Aphelia paleana

1 x Evergestis forficalis

1 x Crambus perlella * year first

1 x Celypha striana

1 x Ditula angustiorana

2 x Eurrypara hortulata

1 x Argyresthia cupressella *** VC30 County first

1 x Eudonia mercurella * year first

3 x Chrysoteuchia culmella

1 x Crambus pascuella

4 x Bryotropha tedella

2 x Pempeliella dilutella

1 x Blastodacna hellerella

1 x Scythropia crataegella * garden first

Garden running total :

222 species.....131 macro, 91 micro