30th May 2009 - 15w Actinic & 125w MV

128 moths of 43 species with a single gelechid yet to be ID'd made for a very busy morning. The actinic attracted almost as many species as the MV (29 to 33) but contained only half the individuals. Three species were added to the year list:

Privet Hawkmoth (3 individuals) :

The Snout:

Large Yellow Underwing:

Best of the rest:

Scrobipalpa acuminatella - 1
Cochylis atricapitana - 1
Celypha striana - 1
Aphomia sociella - 1 male
Udea olivalis - 4
Small Dusty Wave - 1
Common Marbled Carpet - 7
Light Emerald - 4
Iron Prominent - 1
Dog's Tooth - 1
The Miller - 1
Knot Grass - 1

30th May 2009 - day flying

Very warm and sunny but with a strong breeze so probably fewer moths flying than otherwise. A tiny black and white micro is almost certainly Ectoedemia occultella - a garden first - but will have to be confirmed by gen.det.


At least 7 Nemophora degeerella were dancing in the sun in a sheltered part of the garden and several other species were netted:

Monopis lavigella - 1
Tinea semifulvella - 1
Nemapogon cloacella - 2
Anthophila fabriciana - 1
Cacoecimorpha pronubana - 2
Pyrausta aurata - 2
Small Magpie - 1

28th May 2009 - 15w Actinic trap

Things calming slightly after the previous night but still a handful of species new for the year. This included another of my favourite moths, Buff-tip:


Varied Coronet:

Straw Dot:

Celypha striana:

Tinea pellionella:

This Nemapogon cloacella is rather smarter than the one caught a few days ago:

28th May 2009 - day flying

Two new for the year netted in the garden early evening:

Caloptilia syringella:

Small Dusty Wave:

27th May 2009

It appears that planting a golden hop in my garden last year has worked - the target species, Buttoned Snout, turned up at the trap this morning. Another good night with 94 moths of 33 species with a noctuid and a micro yet to be identified.

Buttoned Snout:

Pebble Hook-tip:

Freyer's Pug:

Willow Beauty:

Small Clouded Brindle:

Middle-barred Minor:

Bucculatrix nigricomella:

25th May 2009 - part two

I wasn't convinced that this was Argyresthia trifasciata so put a photo online for confirmation which duly arrived - number 634 for the garden!

25th May 2009

The highlight of a very busy night (94 moths of 42 species with two micros to be ID'd) was the second ever Puss Moth for the garden but there were six other new for the year. Two micros remain and can be seen by clicking the 'Unidentified Moths' link.


Elephant Hawkmoth:

Dark Arches:

Clouded Silver:
Tinea semifulvella:
Endothenia marginana:

Epinotia bilunana:

Myelois circumvoluta (Thistle Ermine):

25th May 2009

One of my favourite moths and a regular in the garden is the longhorn Nemophora degeerella which turns up in late spring. A week or so early I netted this one this morning as it flew around a big clump of ivy.


Disturbed whilst gardening in the afternoon was the rather less attractive and rather more common Bryotropha affinis:

In the early evening another favourite appeared fluttering over the garden pond - a male Small China-mark:

A final trip around the garden before putting the trap out yielded a single Amblyptilia acanthadactyla and this Pseudargyrotoza conwagana:

24th May 2009

With a huge migration of Painted Ladys and Clouded Yellows in progress I'd rather hoped there might be a few migrant moths might turn up overnight. So some disappointment when everything in the trap proved to be home-grown, still 5 new for the year though.

The Miller:

Light Emerald:

Sandy Carpet:

Sitochroa verticalis:
Chrysoteuchia culmella (Garden Grass Veneer):

23rd May 2009 - part three (macros)

Another good night with both traps attracting a similar number of moths. A total of 36 species were recorded with 9 new for the year. Here are some photos of the macros, for micros see the previous post.

Blood-vein:

Coxcomb Prominent:

Angle Shades:

Treble Brown Spot:

23rd May 2009 - part two (micros)

As their is a limit to the number of labels that can be assigned to each post I've had to split last night's catch in two - first the micros.

Phtheochroa rugosana:

Udea olivalis:

Hedya pruniana (Plum Tortrix):

Clepsis consimilana:

Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Brown House Moth):

Aphomia sociella (Bee Moth) - the second record of the year but this time a fine male, quite different from the female:

23rd May 2009 - part one

A tiny moth netted early evening proved to be another Phyllonorycter leucographella (Firethorn Leaf Miner) but of the more usual form: