Westcott, Bucks

A week has passed since the first appearance here this year by Scarce Umber and a further four have visited the trap in the intervening period.  10th November was quite a good night, 16 macro species coming to the twin-30wt actinic light:  December Moth, Winter Moth, Feathered Thorn, Scarce Umber, Mottled Umber, Figure of Eight, Turnip, Dark Sword-grass, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Black Rustic, Sprawler, Green-brindled Crescent, Chestnut, Brick, Red-line Quaker & Pink-barred Sallow.  Additional moths seen in the garden since then have comprised Red-green Carpet & November Moth sp (both 11th), Blastobasis lacticolella & Beaded Chestnut (both 12th), Satellite (13th), Epiphyas postvittana, Eudonia angustea, Emmelina monodactyla & Grey Shoulder-knot (all 14th) and Phyllonorycter messaniella, Scrobipalpa costella, Udea ferrugalis, Willow Beauty, Shuttle-shaped Dart, Large Yellow Underwing, Dark Chestnut & Vine's Rustic (all 15th), so there is still plenty of variety out there.  Last night's nine species didn't add anything further but amongst them was yet another Dark Sword-grass which was the 28th example seen here this year, the previous garden high being 21 in 2013. 

The particularly mild night of the 15th brought out quite an interesting selection of moths to the actinic (32 individuals of 17 species).  I'd almost given up hope of seeing the migrant Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis here this year.  Willow Beauty was my latest ever sighting by six days, Shuttle-shaped Dart was only my second November record after one here on the 7th, while the Vine's Rustic was my first ever November sighting.

Udea ferrugalis, Westcott 15th November

Willow Beauty, Westcott 15th November

Vine's Rustic, Westcott 15th November

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks