Leps of Down Under

I've just got back from two weeks in New Zealand, but I wasn't going to make a post about this trip, as its about as far from Surrey as your likely to get!  But, as Bill has requested it, I'll do a quick review.

In terms of the wildlife, of course the main interest was the birds.  They were indeed amazing, and see here for a trip report: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=244125 I didn't spend too much time looking for lepidoptera, and remember that the time of year was thier equivalent of late April/early May, so there were not a great number of species on the wing.  I ended up identifying two moths, and three butterflies. 

The aptly named New Zealand Red Admiral was very common, but the Common Tussock (which I didn't get a photo of) was only seen at one site.  The Boulder Copper is apparently NZ's commonest butterfly, but it's also thier smallest so its easily overlooked (about the size of Small Blue).  The Helastia cinerearia was a day-flying moth, but the ID is rather tentative, as the number of similar Geometrids is more overwhelming than here!  The Wiseana umbraculata was an easier ID, as its clearly one of the Swifts.  It came to a lighted window at night.

New Zealand Red Admiral

 

Boulder Copper (female)

Boulder Copper (male)

 

 

Wiseana umbraculata

Helastia cinerearia

As an aside (and on an insect theme at least) I made this interesting discovery.  I found this on a wall in a garden.  Its the empty egg-case of a New Zealand Praying Mantis (NZ has two species).  Unfortunately, I never saw any of the real thing.

 

 

 

Pluming Marvelous

I've just got back from a mothing session at Sheepleas with Bob Arnfield, Steve Spooner, and Andy Culshaw, where we ran an MV and an actinic trap.  We were there in order to target the Plumed Prominent, which was last found at the site in 2005.  The weather started off cloudy, but things were not looking good as it suddenly cleared, and we had had only three moths.  For no apparent reason, around 7pm, there was a flurry of activity that included the arrival of my first December Moths.  Then, I noticed an odd looking moth sitting on the MV trap.  It was it!  I was surprised at how small and un-prominent-like it looked.  This came shortly after both Bob and myself noticed a promising-looking moth flying around in a nearby mature Field Maple.  We ended with 18 moths of 6 species.  Not bad for November!

7th November, Sheepleas:
4 December Moth*
4 Red-green Carpet
3 Common Marbled Carpet
3 Brick
3 Chestnut
1 Plumed Prominent*

December Moth

Plumed Prominent

This is will probably be my last post this year.  Thanks everyone for supporting the blog, and have a great Christmas!

PS

If you order the book from

http://www.surreywildlifegifts.org.uk/collections/atlas-series
all profits go to future atlases.

New book

It would be remiss of me not to give a plug to the latest book on Surrey's moths - Smaller moths of Surrey by Bob Palmer, Jim Porter and Graham Collins. I have had the pleasure of doing some fieldwork with Jim and Graham, and they really know their stuff. Searching for near invisible 'micro-moths' may not be everyone's cup of t, but they bring a great deal of skill, knowledge, enthusiasm and persistence to the task. In fact they have been urging Surrey's mothing community to get out into the field during the season (roughly March till November) to collect as many 'dots' as possible for the atlas.

I am still a novice at identifying micro-moths but the new book by Sterling and Parsons (illustrated by Richard Lewington) is a big step in the right direction. It is called Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland. Armed with these two tomes (and some £50 the poorer!) almost anybody should be able to start finding and identifying at least some of the micros. 

The Field Guide is published by British Wildlife Press and the Surrey atlas by the Surrey Wildlife Trust (order from their website).

The Atlas covers all of the 1,100 plus species that have been recorded in Surrey, out of a UK total of around 1,600. There is a map for most species, which gives a quick visual picture of the distribution. The text explains the scarcity or otherwise of each species and gives some basic information about the food-plants and how most of the records have been obtained.

I was pleased to discover that there are two species for which I have obtained the only modern records - in fact Argyresthia cupressella has only ever been recorded in my garden. (How much am I bid for tickets to search for this little moth which is about 6mm long?).

The book is hardback, and printed on better quality paper than Graham's earlier books in the series (butterflies and larger moths). There are some good photographs of a representative range of species, including one of my favourites, Alabonia geoffrella. 

Moths and the weather

Moths, I have concluded, don't mind torrential rain and howling winds.  However, drop the temperature a bit and you don't see them for dust!

During the dreadful weather on Wednesday night last week I trapped five Red-Green Carpets, five Yellow-line Quaker, a Feathered Thorn and a December Moth.  Thursday was a glorious day and relatively warm so I had high hopes but the temperature dropped dramatically in the evening and only one brave December Moth showed itself.

I have also now changed trap.  I was using a Skinner but a couple of months ago my partner and I had a go at making our own Robinson-type trap which I am now using - works a treat!

Robinson Trap

Agent Orange

Went for a short evenings trapping at Stoke Meadows last night, but numbers were very poor.  The forecast looked decent, but the temperature was rather disappointing in the end.  Luckily, the very last egg box removal saved the day.  Under it was a lovely Orange Sallow, which was my first.

4th October, Stoke Meadows:
4 Snout
2 Common Marbled Carpet
2 Barred Sallow
2 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Angle Shades
1 Herald
1 Silver Y
1 Orange Sallow
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Chestnut

Orange Sallow

 



Next week I will be going to Provence for the week (for birdwatching).  Imagine my glee when I found out that the accommodation comes with its own moth trap!  Not sure if the weather will lend itself to trapping, but I'll certainly do a short post on my return if I trap and get anything good.

A Shot in the Dark

I'm now in my house at Ash Vale near Aldershot.  As it was a mild, cloudy night, I thought it was worth an exploratory trapping, despite all my mothing gear being burried.  I have my unpacking priorities correct!  I am planning to start trapping properly in the new year, so last night was merely a sighter.  I didn't make any notes, but there was nothing in there that I wouldn't expect in Haslemere.  Best moth was a Black Rustic, but the trap was full of Caddisflies, proving the proximity of the Basingstoke Canal.

30th Sept, Ash Vale:
15 Lesser Yellow Underwing
10 Large Yellow Underwing
5 Common Marbled Carpet
4 Large Ranunculus
4 Lunar Underwing
3 Snout
1 Black Rustic
1 Square-spot Rustic
1 Light Brown Apple Moth

Where theres a Willow...

I've done it!  I've managed to scrape together a 200 year list for this garden, just a few days before the move.  There was loads of rain in the forecast, but I thought it would be worth trying with the complete cloud cover.  Luckily, it was a very full trap for the time of year, and amongst these were the two year ticks I required.  These were a Barred Sallow and a Pale Mottled Willow (how had I not got any of these before!).  If the conditions look good (which they don't at the moment), I may get one more trapping in before Saturday to give my garden the chance to give me one final surprise, but I doubt it.  Go to the bottom of the post for my gardens final statistics!

23rd September:
53 Large Yellow Underwing
6 Lesser Yellow Underwing
5 Setaceous Hebrew Character
3 Snout
3 Silver Y
2 Lunar Underwing
1 Pale Mottled Willow NFY
1 LBBYU
1 Square-spot Rustic
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Barred Sallow NFY
1 Copper Underwing
1 Angle Shades

Pale Mottled Willow

Barred Sallow

Final Statistics - Haslemere Garden:
I do love a good stat!

First trapping: 02/07/09
No of trappings: 192
Most (macro) moths in one trapping: 229 (24/03/12)
Most (macro) species in one trapping: 54 (26/07/12)
Most of one (macro) species in a trapping: 200 (Small Quaker - 24/03/12)
Extreme dates for trappings: 10/01 - 04/11

Most frequent (macro) species - Top 3:
1. Large Yellow Underwing (98 trappings)
2. Willow Beauty (74)
3. Dark Arches (73)

Most numerous (macro) species - Top 3:
1. Large Yellow Underwing (1389)
2. Heart and Dart (504)
3. Small Quaker (469)

Year Lists (macros):
2009 (Actinic) (52 nights): 160
2010 (Actinic) (63): 214
2011 (Actinic) (42): 168
2012 ( MV) (35): 200

Micro List (only started 18/06/12): 108
Macro List: 277
Best record: Striped Lychnis (24/07/12) - First in Surrey for 95 years!

The Closing Stages

I need to take any oppurtunity to trap at the moment, so a cloudy night was enough to stick the light on, despite the temp being around 11 only.  That considered, it was not a bad haul, and it included two year ticks.  Just two more to go to get to 200! 

21st September:
16 Large Yellow Underwing
6 Common Marbled Carpet
3 Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 Large Ranunculus NFY
1 Light Emerald
1 Silver Y
1 Sallow NFY
1 Lunar Underwing
1 Rosy Rustic
1 Square-spot Rustic
1 Burnished Brass
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Grey Pine Carpet

Large Ranunculus

Sallow

Red Alert

Cloud was in the forecast again last evening, but it was rather chilly come dawn.  It would be rather fitting if this was my last ever trapping in this garden, but I suspect I will be able to get a few more in the next 11 days, unfortunately.  I say that, because I got a bonza garden tick last night, and only my second ever.  It was to my great surprise that I saw a Red Underwing bumbling around the trap when it came to the morning rumage.  A gorgeous species, which I had only seen once, many years ago resting on the side of the RSPB visitor centre at Radipole Lake!  This made up for what was otherwise a very poor catch.

17th September:
Macros:
25 Large Yellow Underwing
5 Lesser Yellow Underwing
4 Common Marbled Carpet
2 Silver Y
2 Light Emerald
1 Vine's Rustic
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Snout
1 Red Underwing NFG

Micros:
2 Light Brown Apple Moth (!)

Red Underwing

All is Rosy in the Garden

Just a couple of weeks to go in my garden, and I thought it may be worth trapping last night despite a clear start, as it was forecast to cloud over.  Luckily, it did, and the temp at dawn was quite mild.  As a result, I got what was probably my best catch ever at this time of year in terms of individual numbers.  97 moths of 17 macro species included four year ticks, so I'm just five away from making it 200 for the year.  Best was a couple of Rosy Rustic, which I've only seen a couple of times before, both in the garden a few years ago.

15th September:
Macros:
47 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Square-spot Rustic
7 Setaceous Hebrew Character
6 Snout
5 Silver Y
5 Angle Shades
4 Common Marbled Carpet
3 Lesser Yellow Underwing
3 Light Emerald
2 Rosy Rustic NFY
1 Brimstone (becomes the most frequent garden species this year, seen on 50% of trapping nights)
1 Burnished Brass
1 Brindled Green NFY
1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1 Lunar Underwing NFY
1 Common Wainscot NFY
1 Grey Pine Carpet

Micros:
6 Light Brown Apple Moth
3 Blastobasis adustella
2 Celypha lacunana
1 Cydia splendana
1 Eudonia mercurella

Rosy Rustic

Common Wainscot

Brindled Green

Lunar Underwing

Barred from the Garden

We seem to be going through a little bit of a warm spell at the moment, and numbers in the trap are up on previous years, but quality has been lacking a little.  I trapped on the 7th and last night, but amongst both trappings were just the one year tick, although that happened to also be a garden tick of a Barred Hook-tip.  Its ridiculous that one of the only native plants in the garden, a Beech tree, has not given me more over the years (only a couple of Clay Triple-lines records too!).  The only micro highlight was an Acleris emergana from last night.

Aggregate catch list for 7th and 10th September:
Macros:
41 Large Yellow Underwing
11 Lesser Yellow Underwing
9 Setaceous Hebrew Character
8 Snout
7 Common Marbled Carpet
7 Square-spot Rustic
7 Brimstone
4 Angle Shades
4 LBBYU
4 Silver Y
2 Copper Underwing
1 Barred Hook-tip NFG
1 Flounced Rustic
1 Straw Dot
1 Riband Wave
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Garden Carpet
1 Light Emerald
1 Vine's Rustic

Micros:
7 Light Brown Apple Moth
5 Cydia splendana
1 Eudonia mercurella
1 Emmelina monodactyla
1 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Acleris emergana
1 Brown House Moth
1 Orchard Ermine

Barred Hook-tip

Light Brown Apple Moth

Freshly emerged Emmelina monodactyla by its chrysalis

Acleris emergana

The Tipping Point

Four weeks to go in my current garden, and I hope it can go out on a high, and I'm hoping I can get to a macro year list of 200.  Last nights trapping brought the 2012 total to 190.  Nothing surprising amongst the macros, but a decent showing from the migrants, including a White Point (even though these are now resident in Surrey).  In with the micros were two specimens of the very pretty Caloptilia syringella, which is a lifer for me.  Wasps were again a problem, with at least 10 in and around the trap.

3rd September:
Macros:
25 Large Yellow Underwing
9 Brimstone
7 Lesser Yellow Underwing
4 LBBYU
4 Flounced Rustic
3 Green Carpet
3 Silver Y
3 Square-spot Rustic
2 Snout
2 Willow Beauty
1 Riband Wave
1 Light Emerald
1 Common Marbled Carpet
1 Flame Carpet
1 Angle Shades
1 Setaceous Hebrew Character NFY
1 Small Phoenix
1 Dark Sword-grass NFY
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Dark Arches
1 Maiden's Blush
1 Marbled Beauty
1 White Point
1 Common Rustic sp.
1 Feathered Gothic NFY

Micros:
5 Light Brown Apple Moth
3 Agriphila geniculea
3 Blastobasis adustella
3 Mother of Pearl
2 Cydia splendana
2 Caloptilia syringella*
1 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Ypsolopha parenthesella
1 Holly Tortrix
1 Eudonia mercurella
1 Garden Rose Tortrix
1 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner

Caloptilia syringella

Feathered Gothic

White Point

The Tower of Rustic Neglect / + big news

In conjunction with the Surrey Wildlife Trusts volunteer do at the Semaphore Tower at Chatley Heath, I joined Paul Wheeler for some mothing on the edge of the heathland there.  It was rather nice having a barbacue, cider and wine to keep us going (although pangs of guilt for not being a volunteer meant I just had the one half-pint of cider!).   The conditions weren't brilliant, but I still came away with the nice macro lifer of Neglected Rustic, although its lucky it showed its hindwings, as we may have otherwise overlooked it as a Lesser Yellow Underwing!  Some nice micros included Agriphila latistria, Swarmmadamia caesiella, and Mirificarma mulinella (just like the Rustic, these were as dull as anything, but new ones to me!).  I did not take any notes so I don't have the full list, but the only other moths worthy of any mention were a Mocha, lots of White-line Darts, and the heathland gelechid Aristotelia ericinella.

Neglected Rustic

 

In other news, I have recently found out that I have to move house.  This is a bit of a pain, as I feel I was just getting to know the lepifauna of my Haslemere garden!  In just over three years there I've built up a macro list of 275, and a micro list (which I've only just started) of 105.  On the plus side, the house I am moving to near Aldershot at the end of September is a blank canvas, and I can't wait to get going there.  The Ash Ranges are close-by, and the Basingstoke Canal passes the bottom of the garden, so I hope to get some nice wetland species.

Mega Micro Micros!

Here was I thinking that a return to trapping in my suburban garden would be a step down from the last couple of sensational field trips.  In terms of macros it certainly was, but the quality of the micros was just as good as the recent trappings at nature reserves.  Just three expected year ticks amongst the macros, but the micros were excellent, and included the stunning Mompha locupletella, as well as Aspilapteryx tringipennella, and Bucculatrix ulmella.  Also a notable number of Horse-chestnut Leaf-miners.  All these took some sorting I can tell you, almost all being of the microscopic type!  Note to self: Must get a hand-lens.

20th August:
Macros:
49 LBBYU
14 Dunbar
14 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Riband Wave
5 Brimstone
4 Common Carpet
4 Common Rustic sp.
3 Willow Beauty
3 Lesser Yellow Underwing
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
2 Silver Y
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Iron Prominent
2 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Straw Dot
2 Small Rivulet
2 True Lover's Knot
1 Pebble Hook-tip
1 Green Carpet
1 Flounced Rustic NFY
1 Garden Carpet
1 Rosy Minor
1 Small Phoenix
1 Common White Wave
1 Mouse Moth
1 Ear Moth
1 Burnished Brass
1 Six-striped Rustic NFY
1 Old Lady NFY
1 Flame Shoulder
1 Fan-foot
1 Dark Arches
1 Spruce Carpet
1 Early Thorn
1 Rosy Footman
1 Copper Underwing
1 Buff Footman
1 Peppered Moth

Micros:
14 Cydia splendana
8 Phycita roborella
7 Agriphila tristella
7 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
7 Eudonia mercurella
6 Blastobasis adustella
5 Agriphila geniculea
3 Hypsopygia glaucinalis
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
2 Scoparia ambigualis
2 Aspilapteryx tringipennella*
2 Parornix anglicella
2 Caloptilia rufipennella
1 Eudonia truncicolella
1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Garden Pebble
1 Cydia fagiglandana
1 Catoptria pinella
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Bryotropha affinis
1 Acleris forsskaleana
1 Bucculatrix ulmella*
1 Trachycera advenella
1 Argyresthia goedartella
1 Beautiful Plume
1 Epinotia nisella
1 Rhyaconia pinicolana
1 Apple Leaf-miner*
1 Case-bearing Clothes-moth
1 Mompha locupletella*

Mompha locupletella

Bucculatrix ulmella

Aspilapteryx tringipennella



Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner

Apple Leaf-miner

Caloptilia rufipennella

Six-striped Rustic

It's been quiet at Wimbledon Towers

Not a lot going on moth-wise here at Wimbledon Towers, mainly as I've been away a lot and one of my dogs needing surgery has had me pre-occupied.  I have tried to get the trap out most nights that I'm here but despite that, I am not getting anything like the numbers that others are getting, either in Surrey or elsewhere around the country.  Still, this weekend has turned up a few nice ones such as Tree Lichen Beauty, Straw Dot, Jersey Tiger, Vapourer, Peacock and also several Gypsy Moth.  Was also pleased to be able to confirm both Treble-bar and Lesser Treble-bar ...

 

Gypsy Moth

Peacock Moth

Lesser Treble-Bar

The Clay on Chalk

The mothing is just relentless at the moment, and I don't really care that the tiredness is catching up with me!  Its worth it.  Last night the destination was the fantastic chalk site of Norbury Park for an event with David Gardner.  The warmest day of the year proceeded it, so we knew we'd get good numbers in our two traps, but quality was yet again better than expected.  One of the first moths to appear was a lifer, a lovely fresh Square-spotted Clay.  The quality macros didn't end there, with things like Mocha, and only my second Cypress Pug.  The quality amongst the micros was never-ending, with things like the stunning Parectopa ononidis, Eucalybites auroguttella, Batrachedra praeangusta, the tiny Hemp-agrimony Plume (aptly named microdactyla), and best of all, the migrant Cydia amplana.

18th August, Norbury Park:
Macros:
8 Dingy Footman
6 Orange Swift
5 Brimstone
10 Pretty Chalk Carpet
8 Green Carpet
3 Lesser-spotted Pinion
1 Square-spotted Clay
15 Barred Hook-tip
3 LBBYU
1 Nut-tree Tussock
12 Large Yellow Underwing
1 Small Rivulet
4 Flame Shoulder
4 Flounced Rustic
4 Iron Prominent
50 Buff Footman
3 Small Fan-footed Wave
4 Ruby Tiger
5 Copper Underwing
5 Common Carpet
6 Coronet
5 Dunbar
1 Snout
5 Straw Dot
2 Lesser Swallow Prominent
2 Riband Wave
2 Orange Footman
2 Yellow-barred Brindle
5 Black Arches
1 Small Phoenix
3 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
5 Square-spot Rustic
2 Rosy Footman
1 Mocha
3 Willow Beauty
1 Common Wave
1 Silver Y
1 Small Waved Umber
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
1 Satin Beauty
1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
2 Peach Blossom
3 Dark Arches
1 Cypress Pug
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Pebble Hook-tip
5 Straw Underwing
4 Cloaked Minor
1 Small Square-spot
2 White Point
1 Lime-speck Pug
1 Red Twin-spot Carpet
1 Ear Moth
1 Dagger sp.

Micros (* = lifer):
15 Agriphila tristella
1 Red-barred Tortrix
25 Blastobasis adustella
1 Brown House-moth
3 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
4 Mother of Pearl
1 Bramle Shoot Moth
3 Eudonia mercurella
1 Small China-mark
2 Trachycera advenella
2 Pyrausta aurata
4 Phycita roborella
1 Parectopa ononidis*
3 Cydia splendana
1 Aryresthia goedartella
3 Euzophera pinguis
2 Epinotia nisella
5 Carcina quercana
1 Eucalybites auroguttella*
1 Bactra lancealana
2 Monopsis weaverella
2 Holly Tortrix
2 Gold Triangle
1 Hemp-agrimony Plume*
2 Ash Bud Moth
4 Agapeta hamana
2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix
5 Agriphila straminella
2 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilia alchimiella
1 Caloptilia rufipennella*
2 Batia unitella
1 Skin Moth
1 Light Brown Apple Moth
2 Scrobipalpa costella
2 Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner
1 Rush Veneer
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
1 Cydia amplana*
1 Cryptoblades bistriga*
1 Batrachedra praeangusta*
3 Celypha lacunana
1 Endothenia marginana
2 Cochylis atricapitana
1 Caloptilia semifascia*

Total: 100

Square-spotted Clay

Lesser-spotted Pinion

Cypress Pug

Mocha

Hemp-agrimony Plume

Cydia amplana

A Pod of Peas at Kempton

I went a fair distance out of my way yesterday evening, as there was a private trapping session with Paul Wheeler at Kempton nature reserve, Sunbury.  I was rather looking forward to it as its a fantastic looking wetland site complete with scrub, woodland, reedbed, and flower meadows, and it was the one of the first times I'd trapped in the suburbs of London, said to have its own unique moth populations.  I was not disappointed, as a nice muggy night produced both quality and quantity to our four traps.  Macro lifers are becoming quite hard to come by, so to get two was amazing.  The typical London suburb moths stole the show with not only Jersey Tigers (I've seen them before in Devon), but at least 5 Tree-lichen Beauty.  The other lifer was the scarce Cream-bordered Green Pea, which is sometimes a migrant, but with 3 seen, its no doubt breeding on the rampant Willow scrub.  A few nice micros too, with the likes of Elachista bisulcella, and Triangle Plume.  All this means that things like White-line Dart and Southern Wainscot barely get a mention (well, now they have!).

17th August, Kempton NR:
Macros:
10 Dingy Footman
3 Lesser Treble-bar
15 Treble-bar
4 Canary-shouldered Thorn
1 Herald
1 Currant Pug
20 Common Wave
2 Old Lady
3 Brimstone
3 Large Yellow Underwing
8 Small Seraphim
3 Double-striped Pug
7 Flame Shoulder
5 Green Carpet
4 Common Carpet
2 Light Emerald
1 Angle Shades
4 Riband Wave
7 LBBYU
3 Ruby Tiger
5 Tree-lichen Beauty
2 Peach Blossom
4 Tawny Speckled Pug
2 Scarce Footman
3 Cream-bordered Green Pea
4 Willow Beauty
2 Dunbar
5 Ear Moth
2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
3 Shuttle-shaped Dart
1 Iron Prominent
1 Cloaked Minor
2 White-point
2 Straw Underwing
3 White-line Dart
2 Common Rustic
2 Copper Underwing
2 Maiden's Blush
2 Single-dotted Wave
5 Southern Wainscot
1 Least Yellow Underwing
3 Orange Swift
1 Swallow Prominent
2 Yellow Shell
1 Spectacle
1 Common White Wave
2 Jersey Tiger
1 Bright-line Brown-eye
1 Pale Prominent
1 Scalloped Oak
1 Black Arches

Micros:
2 Endothenia marginana
6 Limnaecia phragmitella
4 Agriphila straminella
2 Agriphila geniculea
5 Celypha lacunana
15 Water Veneer
1 Cochylis dubitana*
3 Pammene fasciana
2 Bird-cherry Ermine
1 Lathronympha strigana*
3 Light Brown Apple Moth
1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
2 Small China-mark
10 Catoptria falsella
2 Eudonia mercurella
2 Cydia splendana
2 Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix
3 Agriphila inquinatella
8 Blastobasis adustella
15 Mother of Pearl
2 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix
1 Phlyctaenia coronata
2 Skin Moth
1 Acrobasis repandana
1 Batia unitella
1 Agonopterix liturosa*
3 Pyrausta purpuralis
4 Phycita roborella
1 Cochylis atricapitana
3 Carcina quercana
2 Pyrausta aurata
2 Calamotropha paludella
2 Diamond-back Moth
1 Caloptilita alchimiella
1 Acrobasis advenella
2 Ringed China-mark
2 Epinotia ramella*
1 Argyresthia goedartella
1 Triangle Plume
1 Eudonia pallida
1 Cyclamen Tortrix*
1 Elachista bisulsella*
1 Elachista albifrontella*
2 Epinotia nisella
1 Parornix anglicella
1 Scrobipalpa costella*
1 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix

Total: 98

Cream-bordered Green Peas (and Ringed China-mark)

Jersey Tiger

Tree-lichen Beauty

Agonopterix liturosa

Toadflax Brocade!

Toadflax Brocade...

Jersey Tiger (ab. lutescens)...

Couldn't resist posting a quick couple of shots of these two absolute gems, which turned up in the garden moth trap this week- Toadflax Brocade last night (16th August) and the Jersey Tiger on the 11th August. Both have been at the top of the garden wish list for a while now, but I never realistically thought I'd have a chance of catching them.

Toadflax Brocade is a particularly interesting record, as its always been a rare species confined to shingle beaches along the south coast. However, recent years have seen an increase in wanderers further inland, with the possibility of breeding in certain areas of Surrey and London.