Westcott, Bucks

Another week has gone by and moth numbers are currently holding up reasonably well for the time of year, albeit with some fluctuations depending upon the amount (or lack) of night-time cloud cover.  Lunar Underwing has now declined to only one or two individuals per night, leaving Beaded Chestnut as the only species making regular double-digit counts, although now that they've started the November Moth species are catching up.  Southerly winds this coming weekend and into the first half of next week give hope for another short burst of possible migrant activity, although it will become wet and windy.  More importantly, the forecast suggests that we may escape any frosts here at least until we're in to November.

     (8th)  110 moths of 31 species; Radford's Flame Shoulder was new for the garden year list (see here).  Of note was a second example of Choreutis pariana and another Nomophila noctuella (Rush Veneer).

     (9th)  41 moths of 14 species; Phyllonorycter messaniella was new for the year-list.

     (10th)  35 moths of 10 species; nothing new for the year-list but of note was the first Grey Shoulder-knot to appear here this autumn.

     (11th)  34 moths of 14 species; nothing new for the year-list but of note was the tenth garden Clifden Nonpareil this year.
     (12th)  47 moths of 19 species; nothing new for the year-list.

     (13th)  79 moths of 22 species; Feathered Thorn & Figure of Eight were new for the year-list.  Of note were a diminutive Red-green Carpet and two late Light Emeralds.

     (14th)  77 moths of 24 species; nothing new for the year-list but of note were another couple of late moths, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana and a further Light Emerald. 

There have been second-brood records of Light Emerald in the garden since 2009, mostly in August and September although during 2011, 2013 and then annually from 2017 onwards they have stretched into the first couple of weeks of October.  The pair on the 13th and the singleton on the 14th were the latest I've seen them apart from one particularly late individual on the 20th last year. 

Feathered Thorn, Westcott 13th October

Red-green Carpet, Westcott 13th October

One of six Red-green Carpets which came to light on the 13th, the example illustrated above had a wing-length of 12mm, quite a bit smaller than the usual range for that species.  

Likely Epinotia nisella, Westcott 12th October

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Westcott 14th October

During September the garden traps were visited by 69 micro-moth species but, true to form, numbers have been much lower this month and have only reached 19 so far (and are unlikely to climb much higher).  At the moment it is just Acleris variegana and Epiphyas postvittana which are guaranteed each night.  What will probably turn out to be simply a grey Epinotia nisella visited on the 12th and has been retained in case it proves to be the less common Epinotia cinereana.  The two species can only be told apart by dissection.  I've had many looking like this one which have come back as nisella but on three occasions (including once in the garden) cinereana has been confirmed so it is worth making the effort.  The ash-feeding Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, quite a striking little tortrix, put in a late appearance on the 14th.  I've only had two other October records and they're both quite recent (on the 7th in 2019 and 23rd in 2017).  

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks