Pugs..............

Battered Pugs at this time of year are the hardest to identify. In fact, after a certain amount of wear this becomes pretty much impossible. The most common in the garden at the moment are Green, Grey and of course Common Pug. Though most of the pugs are on the wing in June/July. Below are a couple that have/are testing me.

Oak-tree Pug?

Caught 27th June. It's been ages since I've caught one (11th May), but this seems to be what it is? Size, shape and distinctive white area to the outside of the discals all seem to fit. If it is an Oak-tree, it certainly is late. My latest previously record was 24th May 2010.................

Dwarf Pug

Caught 26th June. This could be a new species for the garden. 18mm wingspan, posture and very large discals give it all the hallmarks of a Dwarf Pug. I could easily be wrong of course as its so badly worn- retained for gen. det. So will find out soon enough....... confirmed by gen det. A. Banthorpe

NFG's

Recently, I clocked up moth species #650 for the garden. It is now getting very difficult to find new macro species, there is little likelihood of getting more than a few per year. But in the micro department, I still have plenty of wriggle room. This is mainly due to (a) Not patrolling the traps at night- this is the best chance of something new as most micro species are gone by morning. Skinner traps tend not to hold too many and most manage to abscond well before morning. (b) Not retaining- I have had plenty of chances to retain Cnephasias (Grey Tortrix), Coleophoras and Phyllonorycters. I haven't bothered over the years, as I can't be arsed. But these three groups alone could yield 10's of new garden ticks.

Below are my latest offerings, all micros were caught by Keely and Louie's relentless daytime netting along the hedgerow- I don't know where they get it from!

Cherry-bark Moth Enarmonia formosana

NFG- A long awaited tick on 7th June. A lack of suitable food plants in the area

Silky Wainscot

NFG, 16th June- Only the 7th record for Beds VC30. But my garden punches well above its weight for Wetland species.

Psyche casta

 NFG, 17th June. Swept from the hedge by Louie and is the first 'Bagworm' type micro I have seen.

Apple Leaf Skeletonizer Choreutis pariana

 NFG, 22nd June- No doubt the best name for a moth in the whole book! Yet again, swept from the hedge, this time by Keely. Surprisingly scarce- only the 12th VC30 record of this species, though is almost certainly overlooked. Skeletonizer indeed!

Migrants..........

......And what a good year it's been so far with good numbers all over the place this year, including Striped Hawk-moth and Ni Moth. This usually means absolutely nothing in Bedfordshire. But this year I have already had a few notables.

Bordered Straw

This tatty specimen on 7th May is very early in the year for this species. Only my second record.

Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

Unusually early, I don't normally see these until Autumn- NFY 5th June.

Bordered Straw

 After a five year absence, a second one turns up in just under a month on 6th June! Third garden record.

Small Mottled Willow

 A third record for the garden on 12th June, after missing out in 2014