Colourful bits and pieces

While out surveying for Brown Hairstreak butterfly eggs to the west of Long Crendon, Bucks on 7th September I found this 10mm Vapourer caterpillar on blackthorn.  I'm convinced that the moth has two generations because this is not the first time I've found half-grown larvae during September and I have records of the adult moth all the way through from the third week of June to the end of October.

Vapourer caterpillar, 7th September

I had a smart red specimen of Centre-barred Sallow to the garden trap here at Westcott, Bucks on 8th September.  I've seen this form once previously, back in September 2010 at Pilch Fields near Great Horwood in Bucks, and it was then considered sufficiently unusual to be worthy of a Note in the Entomologist's Record (Ent. Rec. 123: 52).

Centre-barred Sallow, 8th September

A visit to the National Trust's Ashridge Estate, Bucks with Andy King on 9th September produced few moths overall but we did get double-digit counts of our two target species, Autumnal Rustic and Hedge Rustic.  Amongst the 18 Autumnal Rustics caught was the smart specimen illustrated below:

Autumnal Rustic, 9th September

Dave Wilton