Westcott, Bucks

I imagine that things are little different here to everyone else's experience at the moment, with some diversity of species but quantities still very low indeed.  Very disappointing really.  Here are the garden results from the past week:

     (15th)  12 moths of 7 species.  Cnephasia sp. & Poplar Hawk-moth were new for the year-list.  The Cnephasia looks good for communana and that is invariably the first species of the group to appear here each year, but will of course have to be dissected for confirmation. 

     (16th)  26 moths of 14 species.  Syndemis musculana, Buff-tip & White Ermine were new for the year.  A couple of batches of very small larvae of Yponomeuta cagnagella were found during the daytime in webs on our garden Spindle. 

     (17th)  15 moths of 11 species.  Cochylichroa (was Cochylis) atricapitana & Treble Lines were new for the year.  

     (18th)  15 moths of 8 species.  A nice fresh Green Carpet & Spectacle were new for the year.  The latter was quite a dark example but still Spectacle rather than Dark Spectacle.

     (19th)  5 moths of 5 species but there was nothing new for the year-list. 

     (20th)  1 moth of 1 species.  A single Agonopterix arenella was tempted out by the light and found resting on the nearby garden fence.

     (21st)  No moths, even though - as on the 20th - the trap was full of Diptera and Trichoptera despite the strong winds and rain.  I did see a noctuid fly past me at great speed when I went to check the trap at 10pm but it obviously escaped the light (or fell foul of the bat combat air patrol).  

Larvae of Yponomeuta cagnagella, Westcott 16th May

Syndemis musculana, Westcott 16th May

Green Carpet, Westcott 18th May

Spectacle, Westcott 18th May

One species that seems to be doing better than most here at the moment is Pebble Prominent, as can be seen from the (posed) picture below.  My first example of the year appeared on the 13th and since then I've had a further 17 of them.  

Pebble Prominents, Westcott 17th May

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks