A bit more variety

Moths have finally started turning up in the garden moth trap - small numbers but a good selection considering such: Common Quaker, Small Quaker, Hebrew Character, Clouded Drab, Dark Chestnut, Grey Shoulder-knot,  Early Grey, Agonopterix alstromeriana and Amblyptilia acanthodactyla. with the exception of Common Quaker I have never had more than one each of these and the greatest number of moths in a night was 5. Plenty of Scarlet Tiger Moth larvae around the garden though, must be at least 50 in one corner of the garden. There is no Green Alkanet or Comfrey (recently planted some of the latter) and they feed on Forget-me-nots (Myosotis sp) - these are also in the Boraginaceae so I guess it makes sense and our garden is stuffed with them.

On thursday evening I put a trap out at Harcourt and also sat with a sheet trap for an hour just after 9pm. At the sheet trap I had my first Yellow Horned along with another 14 species: Oak Beauty (10+), Small Brindled Beauty (2), Dotted Border (2), Common Quaker (4), Small Quaker (20+), Hebrew Character (2), Clouded Drab (3), Twin-spotted Quaker (1), Red Chestnut (4), Chestnut (2), Satellite (1),  Acleris ferrugana/notana (1), Tortricodes alternella (2), Ypsolopha ustella (1). Still fairly small numbers but a nice mix for just an hour's trapping. The over night trap added 3 smart Dotted Chestnuts (the most I've had in one trap) and a March Moth, whilst from under the nearby security light I added Engrailed, Agonopterix ocellana, A.heracliana and Emmelina monodactyla. Marc Botham, Didcot

Dotted Chestnuts, Harcourt Arboretum 12-03-15