A few recent highlights.......

Work commitments and a weekend break have kept blogging to a minimum, though the recording of moths has continued up to 27/05. I have included a few of the recent highlights and have now also brought all lists up-to-date. So far this year I have recorded 116 species in the garden, 91 of which are macros.....

ShearsRecorded for the 1st time on 27/05.

Vine's RusticA year tick on 25/05.

Blood-veinA year tick on 25/05.

Light BrocadeA real stunner, trapped for the 1st time ever on 24/05.

Iron ProminentA year tick on 24/05.

CinnabarA year tick on 24/05- 1st in the trap.

Lime HawkmothA 1st ever on 23/05.

Maidens BlushA 1st ever on 23/05.

More Unconfirmed........

Due to work commitments I've had little time for blogging. I haven't had a lot of time to look up some ID problems either, so I wonder if anyone can help.....?

Mystery?

About the size of a Shuttle-shaped Dart but shorter and stouter looking. Very worn.....

Large Nutmeg?

I caught 2 of these last night, the other one showed slightly more white on the kidney mark.....

This could be good?.......

This turned up on Saturday 22nd May, I found it when I came back from a football presentation evening. Luckily I had just enough faculties to get a couple of snaps of it- this being the best. I trawled the Internet and think I've found my 1st May Highflyer.........

Micro Management........help needed!.

Micro A- Thanks David!

964 Cochylis dubitana

Caught on 20/05
Micro B, not enough for an IDCaught on 20/05

Micro C- Thanks Ben!

228 Monopis weaverellaCaught 21/05

Micro D- Thanks Ben!

985 Carnation TortrixNetted during the day 22/05

Micro E- Thanks Ben!

610 Elachista argentellaNetted Broom Gps on rough grassland- Very small! 23/05

Micro F- Thanks David

1301 Cranbus lathoniellusNetted at Broom GP on rough grassland 23-05

Micro G- Thanks David

153 Adela fibulella

Netted at Broom GPs in mixed deciduous woodland- 23/05

Everybody loves micros, so I've collected up a few images, and wondered if anyone could put any names to faces? Thanks in advance!

Not sure about this one?.........

Pug sp.

At 1st I thought it was a Mottled, but now I dont think so..............

Looks like it's an Oak-tree Pug, many thanks Bill..........

Mystery Micro?.........Solved!

Taken through a specimen pot, maybe enough to get an ID? Well it's an Epinotia immundana of course! Many thanks to Ben Sale

A Prominent Display...19/05

A really good night last night, but not as warm as some areas of the country as temperatures still got down below 10°C. For the 1st time this year I reached over 20 species, with a couple of micros yet to be ID'ed. Unlike others (especially Ian G!) no Hawk Moths yet, though I'm extremely happy with 3 Prominent species.......

Pebble Prominent Lesser Swallow Prominent Swallow Prominent Brindled Pug Common Swift- Male

Buff-tip

Rustic Shoulder-knot

I think I would have recorded more if I had visited the traps a few times in the night.........but I was just too tired. I also think just using Actinic will never produce the hauls found by others......

I'll either have to put out more traps or move!

1. SS Dart- 4
2. Flame Shoulder- 4
3. Swallow Prominent
4. Lesser Swallow Prominent
5. Pebble Prominent- Garden 1st
6. Small Waved Umber- Year tick
7. Hebrew Character
8. Treble Lines
9. Pale Tussock
10. Buff-tip- Garden 1st
11. Red Twin-spot Carpet
12. Garden Carpet
13. Common Pug
14. Brindled Pug
15. Heart & Dart
16. Common Swift
17. Emmelina monodactyla- 2
18. White-shouldered House-moth
19. Rustic Shoulder-knot- Garden 1st
20. Micro A?- Poor photo (see above post)- Epinotia immundana
21. Micro B?- flew away prob. Depressaria sp.

Pumped!.........18/05

Angle Shades- Before

A newly emerged Angle Shades starts to dry off it's wings..............

After

In less than 2 hours it has transformed into this! Ready for it's 1st flight tonight...........

The rest of the count was disappointing as the warm weather turned out to be......well, cold!

1. Shuttle-shaped Dart- 8
2. Pale Tussock
3. Muslin Moth
4. Common Pug
5. Swallow Prominent
6. Waved Umber
7. Clouded Drab- Getting a bit late?
8. Angle Shades
9. Red Twin-spot Carpet
10. White-shouldered House-moth

5 Star Mothin'!......17/05

Lesser Swallow Prominent Treble Lines Buff Ermine Cabbage Moth

A great night with 5 more to the good. I also trapped a Heart & Dart, but it made it's escape just before the camera shutter closed!

1. Shuttle-shaped Dart- 7
2. Brimstone Moth
3. Flame Shoulder
4. Muslin Moth
5. Mottled Pug
6. Treble Lines- Garden 1st
7. Lesser Swallow Prominent- Garden 1st
8. Buff Ermine- Year tick
9. Cabbage Moth- Year tick
10. Heart & Dart- Year tick
11. Agonopterix arenella

The Pug Parade..........

Now everybody loves Pug identification like a hole in the head. So I've decided to get them all out of the way together. Some have been confirmed by VC30, others not. So I've stuck my neck out and had a try............just hope a few are actually right!

White-spotted Pug

This was seen in my garden on 14th May and is by far the largest I've had with a wingspan of 27mm and very large white wing spots, a light tipped abdomen and a large white patch in the middle of the thorax.

Dwarf Pug

A few of these were caught in Chicksands Wood on 15th May. Despite the name they aren't that small! Note the heavy markings and angle at which the wings are held.

Ochreous Pug

Another species caught in Chicksands Wood, it's a pine feeder.

Mottled Pug

I've had 2 of these in the garden, of which this is by far the best photo. In the books it describes the black area as being 'broken up'. It also has a defused black line running across the base of the abdomen.

Common Pug

Now my commonest pug species, the very obvious line around the trailing edges of the wings seems to be a good field mark.

Double-striped Pug

Earliest to be on the wing and fairly obvious once you've squinted hard enough to see 'em.........

Let's hope my theories are water tight!

...........16/05

Garden Pebble

This little fellow was found in the vegetable patch, the 1st I've seen this year. Quite big for a micro really............

1. Shuttle-shaped Dart- 3
2. Brimstone Moth- 2
3. Hebrew Character- 2
4. Mottled Pug- Garden 1st, see post above
5. Knot-grass
6. Waved Umber
7. Garden Pebble- Year tick
8. White-shouldered House-moth

National Moth Night @ Chicksands Wood...15/05

The VC30 Moth-ers

A field meeting in the heart of Chicksands Wood was very productive even though the temperature dropped below 5°C. It was well organised, being run in conjunction with the Beds Bat Group. Not many bats around, but finally at 0100hrs a single Natterer's Bat was recovered from a mist net.

35 species of moth were recorded (report on VC30 to follow) from 5 traps, these are a few of the highlights I managed to photograph-

Broken-barred Carpet

A broken example! 2 were trapped on the night.

Clouded Border

Just 1 of these found by an MV skinner trap.
Iron Prominent

Just 1 recovered by the tripod MV with sheet. (see top photo)
Maidens Blush

Only 1 found, again on the tripod sheet.

Scalloped Hazel

2 found by the tripod MV.
Scalloped Hook-tip
Found on my 15w 12v Actinic trap!
Scorched Carpet
The 1st moth caught- in a net by Andy Banthorpe.
Small White Wave
A real highlight, caught in a net by Stephen Plummer, it's the 1st VC30 record since 1986!
Seraphim
Quite common- with 20+ found around 4 traps.