Two wet nights

Still no migrants here at Westcott, Bucks despite the very wet but warm southerly breeze!  However, 29 species in the garden from each of the last two nights (38 different species overall) was quite a reasonable result.  This time of the year often brings out unexpected sightings of extra broods and last night the trap brought in singletons of Cochylis hybridella and Magpie, neither of which I've had previous records for in October.

Cochylis hybridella, Westcott 5th October

Magpie, Westcott 5th October

While dog-walking between downpours this afternoon I checked out our village's solitary London Plane.  As usual at this time of the year it is covered in active mines of Phyllonorycter platani, as well as a few from Phyllonorycter leucographella which I've not noticed on it before (both species appear on the photo of a leaf upper-side below, the latter being the two smaller brownish mines on the left side of the picture). 


Phyllonorycter mines on London Plane, 6th October

Of more interest, though, was the discovery of several vacated mines of Antispila treitschkiella on nearby hedgerow Dogwood.  The smaller size of the oval cut-out (which the larva uses to form its cocoon) is what distinguishes the mines of this species from those of the rather similar Antispila metalella which uses the same food-plant.

Mine of Antispila treitschkiella on Dogwood, 6th October

Dave Wilton