Westcott, Bucks

There were slightly fewer species to light last night when compared to the previous night (39 as opposed to 43) but a further seven were new for the garden year-list:  Bucculatrix ulmella, Eudonia angustea, Common Swift, Purple Bar, Small Phoenix, Knot Grass & Poplar Grey.  A Nepticulid was also potted for Peter Hall to determine at a later date (I'm sure he'll be full of joy about that!). 



Nepticulid sp, Westcott 9th May

Bucculatrix ulmella, Westcott 9th May

Green Carpet was active in the garden during the daytime yesterday, another new addition to the year-list, while I forgot to mention that on Friday, while sipping our G&Ts in the early evening sunshine, we had a fly-by from a white female Muslin Moth.  She settled well above head height in one of our birches but by the time I'd got the ladder out to try and pot her up she'd disappeared.  A shame as that was a first for the garden, although I have had a couple of encounters in local woodland in previous years.  Being daytime flyers they are not seen very often at all.

Yesterday evening's local dog-walk produced 20+ of whatever the anonymous-looking Dichrorampha species it is that's flying around here at the moment, plus further examples of Glyphipterix simpliciella & Aethes smeathmanniana.  I also saw my first Small Yellow Underwing of the year and the smart tortrix below which needs checking but I think will prove to be Epiblema cirsiana as it was associated with thistles.

Probable Epiblema cirsiana, Westcott 9th May

Dave Wilton
Westcott, Bucks