Westcott, Bucks

Another week has passed and numbers on the garden year-list have fallen further behind when compared to last year (I passed 500 species on 9th July 2018, but that was an exceptional year).  However, there has certainly been no shortage of moths here, especially over the last three nights, even if new arrivals have been fewer.  On the 9th and 10th I ran just a single actinic light in the garden and both ended up being 100+ species nights anyway (921 moths of 124 species on the 10th).  The difficulty has been picking out the interesting ones from amongst the hordes of Heart & Darts, Dark Arches, Uncertains and Rustics!  New items for the list have included:

(5th)  Crassa unitella, Carcina quercana, Pandemis heparana, Apotomis betuletana, Eudonia truncicolella,
          Nomophila noctuella, Pyralis farinalis, Ghost Moth, Round-winged Muslin, Brown-tail, Slender
          Brindle, Bordered Sallow
(6th)  Eana incanana, Eucosma campoliliana, Pleuroptya ruralis, Kent Black Arches, Double Lobed
(7th)  Acrobasis repandana, Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet (by day), Muslin Footman, Buff Footman,
          Waved Black
(8th)  Argyresthia goedartella, Ypsolopha dentella, Epermenia chaerophyllella, Catoptria pinella, Barred Red,
          Lesser Yellow Underwing, Varied Coronet, Olive, Marbled White Spot
(9th)  Epinotia signatana, Lesser Cream Wave, Garden Tiger, Scarce Silver-lines
(10th)  Anarsia innoxiella, Carpatolechia alburnella, Zeiraphera isertana, Agriphila tristella, Acrobasis
          advenella, Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Shaded Broad-bar, Obscure Wainscot, Miller, Suspected

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, Westcott 7th July

Garden Tiger, Westcott 9th July

Bordered Sallow, Westcott 5th July

The Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet was a very worn individual and is only the second recorded here, the last one being in June 2005.  It visited the miniscule patch of trefoil and scabious which passes for our wildflower meadow (about 4ft square!).  It is good to see that Garden Tiger continues to hang on locally despite all the severe declines elsewhere. 

Of this period's collection, three species were completely new for the garden moth list, taking the total recorded here to 978 (437 macros):  Carpatolechia alburnella, Barred Red and Suspected.

Carpatolechia alburnella, Westcott 10th July

Barred Red, Westcott 8th July

Suspected, Westcott 10th July

The Suspected was a poorly marked individual and could easily have been overlooked now that Common Rustic numbers are building (similar size and shape).  Both it and alburnella are associated with birch but neither is common in Bucks, most of my records having come from places like Stoke Common and Rammamere Heath.  Barred Red is/was found in small numbers in several of my local woods although the removal of conifers from nature reserves, currently in vogue, may affect its numbers.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks