29th June 2009 - micros

Five micros new for the year but several remain to be identified so the number will go up.

This was just the second garden record of Mompha ochraceella:
Limnaecia phragmatella:

Eucosma conterminana:

Spilonota ocellana:

Batia unitella:

29th June 2009 - macros

A very busy night produced a frantic morning as I tried to process all the moths in the MV before leaving for work. Just about the first moth out of the trap was a Scarce Silver-lines - new for the garden. In all there were 11 new for the year and several micros remain to be identified.

Scarce Silver-lines:

This Silky Wainscot was only the second record for the garden:

Small-dotted Buff - also just the second garden record:

White Satin:

Dingy Footman:

Short-cloaked Moth:

Clouded Border:

Scalloped Oak:

28th June 2009 - nighttime

A busy night with just the actinic trap attracting 63 species. Only one species new for the year, but an interesting tortrix is on my 'unidentified' blog.

Yponomeuta evonymella:

Middle-barred Minor f.pallida:

28th June 2009 - daytime

Two more for the year list with Cnephasia longana which I finally recognised after catching it last night and a very fresh looking Argyresthia pruniella netted in the garden this afternoon.

Cnephasia longana:

Argyresthia pruniella:

27th June 2009 - nighttime

Just failed to hit the 100 species mark last night with a massive 515 moths of 97 species. Eleven species were new for the year but the Scalloped Oak made a successful dash for freedom as I was trying to pot him, so no photo.
Tortrix viridana:

Gold Triangle:

Dark Umber:

Wormwood Pug:

The Engrailed:

Common White Wave:

Common Wave:

Brown-line Bright-eye:

The Clay:

The Dun-bar:

27th June 2009 - daytime

I found this chap munching on teasel during a walk along the Ouse Washes this morning. I can't help but think it must be rather disappointing for such a gorgeous creature to wake up after metamorphosis and find it's turned into the very dull and monochrome Knot Grass:

26th June 2009

With rain bucketing down until past ten last night moth numbers were looking very low initially but picked up later in the night. A total of 180 moths of just 56 species was disappointing however. Several species were new for the year but a Currant Pug fled before I could pot it.

Cream Wave:

Donacaula forficella:

Catoptria pinella:

Pandemis cerasana:

Lobesia abscisana:

25th June 2009

A warm, dry night gave up a good haul of moths - 186 of 71 species. Best of the lot was the gelechid Eulamprotes wilkella, just the second VC31 record and supposedly a coastal species:

Four species were new for the year:

Shoulder-striped Wainscot:

Endotricha flammealis:

Coleophora mayrella:

Blastodacna hellerella:

24th June 2009

A comparatively quiet night with just one new moth for the year - Small Blood-vein:

23rd June 2009

What should have been an excellent mothing night was rather spoilt by a power cut in the early hours and lasting till dawn. The result was just 107 moths of 54 species in the two traps - I would have expected at least double this number. Three species were new for the year and I've added a photo of Red-barred Tortrix that I wasn't able to photograph previously.

Swallow-tailed Moth:

Lesser Cream Wave:

Metzneria lappella:

Red-barred Tortrix (male):

22nd June 2009

With a warm, still night forecast I decided to put the Robinson MV trap out despite having work in the morning. 143 moths of 49 species was a bit disappointing then, but a confusing geometer, kindly identified for me by the UKMoths people as Twin-spot Carpet made up for it - a first for the garden.

Twin-spot Carpet:

New for the year were Blue-bordered Carpet:

Niditinea fuscella:

21st June 2009 - nighttime

Something of an anticlimax after the preceding 24 hours but the trap still managed to provide one year first, the third ever Puss Moth and a nice collection of Hawkmoths (Elephant,Eyed and Privet).

Scythropia crataegella:

The usual form of Riband Wave is actually quite uncommon:

21st June 2009 - daytime

A stunning couple of hours in the garden this afternoon brought two new species of clearwing and a fly-through Hummingbird Hawkmoth - the first here for 3 years. Unfortunately this visit was too brief for me to snatch any photos.

I decided to put out lures for Red-tipped and Orange-tailed Clearwings as both have been reported in Cambridgeshire recently. The VES lure worked within about 20 minutes with an Orange-tailed appearing briefly followed by another or the same about 10 minutes later but neither giving me a chance to pot them up. The FOR lure for Red-tipped seemed to have no effect until after over two hours a single moth appeared and lingered long enough for me to net it. Five minutes later an Orange-tailed appeared at the other lure and this time I managed to catch it.

These appear to be quite significant catches as neither moth has been recorded here since the 1940s!

Orange-tailed Clearwing:

Red-tipped Clearwing: