Another busy night

They just keep on coming.  Last night, despite some quite heavy rain at one point, the garden actinic trap here produced just over 80 moths of 26 species plus a speckled bush cricket and the usual collection of ichneumons, caddis and crane flies.  The moths comprised a probable Caloptilia semifascia (1), Agonopterix heracliana (1), Common Marbled Carpet (5), Spruce Carpet (1), Red-green Carpet (9), November Moth agg (13), Feathered Thorn (8), Figure of Eight (1), Turnip (1), Setaceous Hebrew Character (1), Sprawler (3), Blair's Shoulder-knot (1), Grey Shoulder-knot (1), Green-brindled Crescent (7), Merveille du Jour (1), Satellite (1), Chestnut (1), Dark Chestnut (5), Brick (5), Red-line Quaker (2), Yellow-line Quaker (3), Beaded Chestnut (4), Lunar Underwing (1), Sallow (1), Dusky-lemon Sallow (1) & Angle Shades (1).  Nothing at all unexpected, just nice still to have a trap load that takes more than thirty seconds to check in the morning!

Probable Caloptilia semifascia, Westcott

Figure of Eight, Westcott

Turnip, Westcott

Dusky-lemon Sallow, Westcott

The Caloptilia will need closer inspection because its wing markings aren't quite typical of either possibility (stigmatella is common in the garden here but semifascia has only been recorded once or twice previously).  Along with Angle Shades, Turnip has been a regular in the trap over the past couple of weeks and these could perhaps be migrants.  Like all of the sallows still around, last night's Dusky-lemon Sallow was looking distinctly tired.

Still no sign here of Juniper Carpet or Large Wainscot, nor for that matter of the much-declined Autumn Green Carpet which I see has been confirmed from adjacent Bedfordshire - that's definitely one to keep an eye open for.  However, in all probability the only garden year-list additions I'll get now are Scarce Umber and December Moth, having seen Winter Moth way back in January.

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks