3 Shakes of Pepper..........

I've caught a few Peppered Moths recently, but they seem to have just about finished for this year. I have been lucky enough to trap all 3 sub species too!

Biston betularia

This is the commonest of the 3 and the most regular in my traps.

 f. insularia

In between the 2, I have only trapped 1 of this form on 28th June.

 f. carbonaria

Only 1 trapped, but striking. This form is now in decline due to less air pollution! Apparently in the London area 100 years ago, this form was once the commonest. The moth over it's many generations since has gradually favoured the now most abundant white form.....

Up a Gear....02/06

The mothing has really picked up with the good weather. We started our day at Broom GPs where we found plenty of Cinnabar, a single of both Silver Y and Silver-ground Carpet and a Marbled Minor agg.

Silver-ground Carpet

Then as night fell it was time to put out the traps in the garden........And what a night it was as we recorded 31 species, easily the highest of the year.

Buttoned Snout

Although the photo is a bit iffy, I think that's what this is. Down in the book as an Nb Nationally scarce species. I would have got some better shots if I'd known!

ID confirmed by A&M Banthorpe.......Thanks!

Light Emerald Peppered Moth

Green Pug

Micro A- Dichrorampha acuminatana (1279)Micro B- Scoparia ambigualis (1334)

I recorded all that I could, including a couple of dodgy shots of 2 micros. The 1 that got away was a suspected Small Angle Shades that landed on the shed wall briefly but was gone before a snap. The rest of the list was as follows-

1. Silver-ground Carpet-1 Broom GP 1st Ever
2. Silver Y- 1 Broom GP, Year tick
3. Treble Lines- 11 High Count
4. Large Nutmeg- 8
5. Heart & Dart- 5
6. Turnip Moth- 3
7. Shuttle-shaped Dart- 2
8. Buff Ermine- 2
9. Spectacle- 2
10. Common Pug- 2
11. Rustic Shoulder-knot- 2
12. Common Wainscot- 2
13. Buff-Tip- 2
14. Peppered Moth- 2 1st Ever
15. Eyed Hawk-moth- 2 1st Ever
16. Garden Carpet
17. Oak Tree Pug?- probable, very faded
18. Light Brocade
19. Green Pug- 1st Ever
20. Willow Beauty- Year tick
21. Lime-speck Pug
22. Clouded Silver- 1st Ever
23. Light Emerald- Year tick
24. Setaceous Hebrew Character- Year tick
25. Angle Shades
26. Micro A?- ID per David Manning
27. Micro B?- ID per David Manning
28. Bright-line Brown-eye
29. Flame
30. Small Angle Shades?- probable, not enough for pos. ID
31. Common Marbled Carpet
32. Buttoned Snout?- A good one if confirmed
33. Marbled Minor agg.

All in all a great day and night- with a whole load of new ones..........