Early Privet Hawk-moth

Last night brought 15 moths of 14 species, including an early Privet Hawk-moth that I nearly missed. I carefully checked (or so I thought) all around the trap and on the sheet behind before I unloaded the trap. However, it was only as I was taking down the sheet that I realised I had managed to miss the very large dark moth on a white sheet! That would seem to be negligent in the extreme, but in my defence I would say that it was on the one part of the sheet that was very hard to see until taken down.

Privet Hawk-moth, Newton Longville 3rd May

The PHM was one of eight new species for the year, of which three are new for the all-time garden list. A Red Twin-spot Carpet was a nice addition after it eventually opened its wings to permit photography and to check it wasn't a Dark-barred Twin-spot. I found Ancylis badiana in the garden for the first time, having noticed it in Howe Park Wood in Milton Keynes during a (daytime) walk a week ago. The third addition to the garden list is a Yellow-barred Brindle, over which I spent quite a while puzzling as its dark central cross-band is paler than in the illustrations and is discontinuous.

Yellow-barred Brindle, Newton Longville 3rd May

There was another moth on which I spent quite a lot of time as it seems to be deformed or injured: it was in this state when I found it in the trap and it hasn't folded its wings properly since. I think it is a Turnip Moth, which I haven't seen yet this year, but it is a bit on the small side (FWL 14mm), the oval is elongated and it is missing the cross-line that usually connects the base of the "darts" on most individuals. The degree of feathering of the antennae is consistent. The alternative would be Heard & Club, but I think it is too early and it would need a greater length of the antennae to be feathered.

Turnip Moth? Newton Longville 3rd May

Tim Arnold
Newton Longville, Bucks