Up here on a very windy hill I had my first Lunar Underwing last night along with a Dark Sword-grass in a much reduced catch. This very dark specimen FW18-20mm was included and I think it is possibly a Flounced Rustic - any thoughts?.
Steve Lockey (Garsington)
Looks to me like a Black Rustic -- we had our first specimen of the year last night, too. A handsome, understated species.
ReplyDeleteWhat colour are the hindwings? It might help a lot.
ReplyDeleteThat's a Deep-brown Dart, Steve. See the post I've just added.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave, I read your entry first and thought 'there's my moth'. That,of course,is a first for me and as I had what was a particularly shiny Black Rustic just the other day which was also a good comparison for me.
ReplyDeleteOops! -- in my defence, I've never seen a Deep-brown Dart, and the species isn't even on my radar; the lack of *any* lighter colouring around the kidney mark should have rung alarm bells, though.
ReplyDeleteDespite being a rapidly-declining species according to the Rothamsted report (down 81% between the years 1968 and 2007), Deep-brown Dart is still quite widespread in our area, Steve, so I'd be surprised if you don't see it in your garden sooner or later.
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