Westcott, Bucks

Last night's collection of garden moths comprised 470 individuals of 82 species and recent catches have been fairly similar with between 70 and 80 species depending on the number of micros around.  Most of the big numbers just now are coming from Brimstone Moth, Flame Shoulder, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Common Rustic agg. and Straw Dot.  Heart & Dart and Large Yellow Underwing are beginning to show evidence of emerging again following their summer break but I've seen no sign here yet of Square-spot Rustic (having said that it'll no doubt turn up tonight!).

The biggest surprise last night was a Sallow, ten days earlier than I found one in the Marsh Gibbon RIS trap last year and that was itself a remarkably early sighting.  It makes me wonder what, if anything, we'll be looking at when autumn really gets here!  Other moths new for the year were the dreaded Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis, the migrant season's first Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella and a Hoary Footman.  I had another Ancylosis oblitella, the third since its appearance on 4th August, as well as a mini-invasion of Pyrausta purpuralis with nine trapped and another three found indoors.  I'm not entirely sure where they will have come from because although it is a garden regular the moth has never before appeared in those kind of numbers.  Stable-mate Pyrausta aurata breeds on our cat-mint and there were two of them in the trap last night too.  Flounced Rustic has appeared a few times already and I've included a photo of last night's fairly typical specimen below because this is another rather non-descript moth which can cause ID problems.  The black bar in the centre of the wing is generally the key thing to look for (although beware some forms of Common Rustic which can look similar).

Sallow, Westcott 7th August

Flounced Rustic, Westcott 7th August

Gold Spot continues to have an exceptional season here.  Unusually I had two first-brood sightings (10th and 13th June) then what I assume are now second brood specimens which have been seen nightly since 17th July.  As of last night I've had 84 individuals here including a couple of daytime sightings on the buddleia.  Not bad at all for a species that prior to 2018 wasn't seen here every year and hadn't ever got into double figures.

Gold Spot, Westcott 4th August

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks