25th July 2013

A very fresh Brown-veined Wainscot was new to the garden during another busy night.

24th July 2013

Just the second garden record of Scarce Silver-lines was the highlight of a slightly quieter night with very few micros. A battered Dark Sword-grass was the first since 2010 and hopefully the first of many migrants.

22nd July 2013

The spell of fine weather finally came to a close with the hottest day of the year followed by heavy rain and thunderstorms. Both traps took a bit of a battering but it didn't seem to discourage the moths. It was another 100+ species night with 3 new for the garden and several new for the year.

Haworth's Pug is easy to identify from the orange coloured abdomen but it is a shame that the first one was so worn:

  

Hedya salicella:

 

 Ethmia dodecea:

21st July 2013

Two moths not seen here since 2010 were the highlight of a slightly quieter night of just 86 species. The Gothic is unmistakable but Oak Nycteoline always makes me wonder how often I discard them as just a large Cnephasia. This one appears to be form rosea but is unfortunately rather worn.

 

19th July 2013

114 species must be close to a record for a single night here, although the quantity of individual moths remains quite low - just 320.

Enarmonia formosana, the Cherry-bark Moth, was a garden tick whilst the stunning Large Emerald was just the second record here, last seen in 2005. Silky Wainscot is an occasional visitor but I've not recorded the form wismariensis before and a male Schoenobius gigantella is unusual in the trap.

 

17th July 2013

Another warm night and another batch of excellent moths. Red-necked Footman was a huge surprise (almost discarded as a dark caddis fly until I saw a flash of red) but Peach Blossom less so - a common moth that for some reason has avoided me until now. There was also the first record of Tawny Speckled Pug since 2005 and a very dark Chilo phragmitella amongst a catch of 91 species.

 

16th July 2013

A very warm and sultry night produced another good catch of 340 moths of just over 100 species. A rather poorly marked Striped Wainscot was a first for the garden as was a rather better marked plume, Marasmarcha lunaedactyla. Several species were new for the year including the second garden records of Blastodacna atra and Lozotaeniodes formosanus.

13th July 2013

371 moths of 108 species was easily the best catch of the year to date. The tiny Opostega salaciella was new to the garden and quite easy to identify from the very large eyecaps. Two Coronets were only the second and third records for the garden following a singleton in 2009.
Edit: I'm clearly getting too old for this! It's actually the 2nd garden record of Opostega salaciella following one in 2008 identified by dissection.

12th July 2013 - daytime

Still very warm and with little wind when I got home from work shortly after 4pm so I thought I'd try a pheromone lure. Within 20 minutes of putting out the FOR lure only the second garden record of Red-tipped Clearwing appeared.

11th July 2013

Only the third garden record of Round-winged Muslin was the only real highlight of a much reduced catch during a comparatively chilly night. Scrobipalpa costella and Small Emerald were new for the year from a catch of 175 moths of 53 species.

9th July 2013

A slightly cooler night and fewer moths in the trap as a result - 190 of 66 species, and still hardly any micros.

The second garden record of May Highflyer was the pick of the bunch with the annual Garden Tiger a close second.

7th July 2013

Only the second garden record of Archips xylosteana was the highlight of a night where, with two traps running I fell just short of the 100 species mark (95 with two micros tbc). The previous record was of a very worn individual only identified by dissection.

7th July 2013

2 of 3 Orange-tailed Clearwings attracted to VES lure this afternoon

5th July 2013

A nicely marked Dusky Brocade was new for the year from a catch of just under 200 moths of 74 species. An uncommon moth locally (this is the first record for two years) this specimen is very different from the last one,

2nd July 2013

The first Clouded Brindle for the garden in the MV trap last night - another example of a moth that appears to be common in the county but rare locally.