30th July 2009

A very cool night produced a very poor catch with only Argyresthia goedartella (of the usual form) of note:

28th July 2009

Three species new for the year out of a total of 221 moths of 63 species. I was thrown by this Twin-spotted Wainscot as it is the form with no white markings:

Mouse Moth:

Acleris aspersana:

27th July 2009

Just the actinic trap out last night as work in the morning and the cooler conditions produced just 32 species including, new for the Year, Canary-shouldered Thorn:

25th July 2009

241 moths of 86 species was an improvement on the previous night with several new for the year and one new for the garden list - a rather battered Square-spotted Clay. The first Copper Underwing of the year is confusing - the underwing seems to show it as pyramidea but the palps point to berbera. I'm going to anaesthetise the moth and try for some better shots of the underwing and post the results later.

Square-spotted Clay:

The second Silky Wainscot of the year (and 3rd for the garden) was of the usual form:

Euzophera pinguis:

Agriphila tristella:

Grapholita janthinana:

Argyresthia goedartella f. literella:

Teleiodes vulgella:

24th July 2009

It's been a long wait but I finally added Black Arches to the Garden list last night with a rather battered individual to the actinic. A pyralid also trapped last night may be a first record of Trachycera suavella but separating it from the similar and common T. advenella isn't easy - there is a picture on the 'Unidentified' blog.
Edit: now confirmed as T.suavella, a photo is included below.
Overall moth numbers were well down over a much cooler night but a further four species were new for the year.

Black Arches:

Trachycera suavella:

The Magpie didn't appear at all last year:

Least Carpet hasn't been recorded since 2006:
Eucosma obumbratana was also absent last year:

Agriphila selasella:

23rd July 2009 - Part 3

A full set of the commoner yellow underwings were in the traps - three of them new for the year.

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing:

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing:

Least Yellow Underwing:

This Southern Wainscot displayed the 'headband':

Cloaked Minor:

23rd July 2009 - Part 2

Two of the migrant Rush Veneer were in each of the traps:

Meal Moth:

Wax Moth:

Large Tabby - not new for the year, but this one hung around for photos:

Acrobasis consociella:

23rd July 2009 - Part 1

I've been away for two weeks so lots of new species for the year on my first night back trapping. The highlight was the rather pretty Agonopterix subpropinquella f. rhodochrella which had me hunting through books and websites until I eventually found a picture in MoGBI. Thirteen others were nfy and a bundle of micros, mostly gelechids, are awaiting ID. A single noctuid remains outstanding and I've put a photo on the 'inidentified' blog.

0692 Agonopterix subpropinquella f. rhodochrella:

A handy comparison was the usual form of A.subpropinquella also taken last night:

Monochroa palustrella:

Leucoptera laburnella:

Blastobasis adustella:

Agriphila straminella:

6th July 2009

Back to more normal overnight temperatures and just 34 species in the actinic - still two new for the year, however.

Garden Dart:

Lesser Yellow Underwing:

5th July 2009

Moth numbers dropped to below 300 as the nights become chillier, Still a few year firsts though.

Double Lobed:

Orthopygia glaucinalis:

Ypsolopha scabrella:

4th July 2009

Another new tortrix was the highlight of a rather quieter night - 307 moths of 83 species. I stopped counting the grass moths a couple of nights ago as there are just too many of them now. Two more species are new for the year.

Aethes rubigana:

Yellow-tail:

Coleophora albitarsella:

3rd July 2009

Another busy night, running both traps produced 451 moths of 99 species. Star of the night was a stunningRhyacionia pinicolana - a pine species which are seldom found locally. Even rarer but rather plainer was a Gypsonoma minutana with just a handful of records for VC31. These two take the garden list total up to 650 species!

Several species were new for the year and a second V-Pug after yesterday's moth turned up. Some migrant movement with a Dark Sword-grass and 7 Diamond-back Moths.

Rhyacionia pinicolana:
Gypsonoma minutana:

I normally think of Rosy Rustic as a late summer/autumn moth so getting one this early was rather depressing:

Brachmia blandella:

Acleris variegana:

Dingy Footman ab. stramineola:

2nd July 2009

With just the Actinic running I recorded 223 moths of 83 species with several yet to be identified. Two species were new for the garden and a further six were new for the year. I was completely thrown by my first Coronet - Mark Hammond on Cammoths kindly put me right.

The Coronet:

There were no such problems with my first V-Pug:

Fen Wainscot hasn't been recorded here for 3 years:

The only previous record of Round-winged Muslin was also 3 years ago:

Dusky Sallow is another species not seen since 2006:

Bordered Beauty:

The Vapourer:

Mother of Pearl: