A couple of nice moths from Stoke Goldington (North Bucks)

A gorgeously fresh Ruddy Carpet was a nice find on a surface away from the trap (second garden record), and also what I'm thinking is a pale Mere Wainscot (which would also be a second garden record).

Westcott, Bucks

Only just, but last night (29th) was a "100+ species night" at Westcott for the third time this year, the other two occasions being during our mini heat-wave on 16th and 17th June.  In 2021 I didn't get above 75 species in a night during the month but three above 100 is the usual figure (achieved in 2019 and 2020).  Hopefully July will provide quite a few more!  The best of last night's garden year-list additions was a male Lappet, while the others comprised Brachmia blandella, Stenoptilia pterodactyla, Cydia splendana, Elophila nymphaeata/Brown China-mark, Ostrinia nubilalis/European Corn-borer, Fern (the first here since 2017), Dingy Footman, Brown-tail, White Satin, Kent Black Arches & Dun-bar. 

Lappet, Westcott 29th June

An answer as to why species like Small Waved Umber, Fern and Pretty Chalk Carpet, all of which feed on chalk-loving Traveller's-Joy at the larval stage, do turn up here occasionally has become clear with my trapping on the adjacent Waddesdon Estate this year.  All three have appeared in the hill-top woodland I'm surveying there, Pretty Chalk Carpet in some numbers, and it made me look more closely at the underlying geology.  There is a fairly narrow strip of Gault Clay, which like the chalk of the Chilterns dates from the Cretaceous period, running north-east from Oxfordshire towards the Greensand on the border with Bedfordshire and in my local area it lies between the Jurassic period Kimmeridge Clay to the north (on which our garden sits) and the chalk to the south.  This strip includes the hilly areas around Sydlings Copse (Oxon) and Brill & Waddesdon (Bucks) and accounts for the rather different flora there compared to what we get on the clay.

 

In an effort to help Mark Griffiths find his Rustic, the picture below of one from last night's garden catch may (or may not!) be of help.  The image isn't exactly as clear as seeing the moth in the hand, but it does attempt to illustrate what I meant by looking for a greyish example in order to give it a garden "tick".  This one is in relatively good condition and there's little sign of any dark band across the centre of the fore-wings which is usually an obvious feature on the much lighter brown Uncertain.

Rustic, Westcott 29th June

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

Scarce rather than Hoary Footman?

 From the top it looked very different from the Scarce Footman sitting a few inches away. It get a bit antsy so I took some shots hoping to get the hindwings. Wit the tremor I have I'm not going to be able to open up the wings without squashing it. It is definately yellowish underneath and I think the flight shot also indicates it's Scarce.

 

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Common Micro-moths of Berkshire - new edition

Congratulations to Nick Asher on completing the second edition of Common Micro-moths of Berkshire, which is now at the printers and available to order. It has been fully updated and covers 200 species, with over 900 photographs. These include enlarged and actual size photographs of each species. Comparisons are given for over 200 similar species, most of them illustrated.

It is now available to order, with printed copies expected to be available by early July. Price £15 + P&P (1 copy - £3.50, 2 copies - £5.00).

Further details and the order form are at:
sites.google.com/site/berksmoths/Home/announcements/berks-micros-new-edition

The first edition was "quite superb in every way ... Absolutely delightful and informative", and the new one is bigger and better, for Berkshire & beyond!

 

Red Sword-grass

This caterpillar found in meadow near the Thames, East of Wytham Field Station (SP476101) on 29 June seems to be a good match for Red Sword-grass, an identity confirmed by Richard Lewington from these photos. Rather unexpected!

Facing up and down

The micro in the downward posture I think is probably Paraswammerdamia nebulella. A faint row of black dots along the costa is visible, and a few clusters of whitish scales towards the costal apex should separate it from Swammerdamia caesiella?

The other micro (about 4mm) with a distinctive upward posture I am struggling with. I had a similar looking Crassa tinctella earlier in the year, but that had a horizontal posture.

Concolorous again

At the beginning of June I discovered the Red Data Book species Concolorous to be resident in two woods in the far north of Bucks.  With its flight period more than halfway through now, I thought I'd try the first of those woods again last night and, sure enough, another four came to light.  It was actually a very busy night for the two traps with in excess of 150 species recorded.  In addition to the target I had my first Mere Wainscot of the year, while other very nice moths included Adaina microdactyla (2), Anania lancealis (9), Beautiful Carpet (1), Scallop Shell (2), Maple Prominent (1), Blackneck (1), Pinion-streaked Snout (1) & Dotted Fan-foot (8).  Although supposedly common, Beautiful Carpet seems to me to be in decline in our area.  This was the first one I've seen for five years and I do a lot of trapping in its woodland habitat.  For example, it used to be a regular sight in Bernwood Forest but I haven't recorded one there since 2014.

Concolorous, Yardley Chase 28th June

Mere Wainscot, Yardley Chase 28th June

Beautiful Carpet, Yardley Chase 28th June

Scallop Shell, Yardley Chase 28th June

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks  

Wormwood Pug??

 Can someone please confirm - it would be a first record here.

Thanks, David

Another nice migrant

I expected a reasonable return in the garden last night because the temperature remained at about 14C until dawn, although as expected I got a bit wet when closing up the traps at 4am this morning because it coincided with the arrival here of rain.  Sure enough, more than 90 species were recorded but only three were new for the garden year list, comprising Leopard Moth, Brown-line Bright-eye and this smart little migrant Small Marbled Eublemma parva. 

Small Marbled, Westcott 28th June

It has been seen here once before (3rd July 2015 as a county first) and there were a handful of subsequent records for Bucks during the influxes of 2015 and 2019.  With a wing length of barely 8mm it could easily be over-looked by those who choose to ignore the micros! 

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

A first for me .....

 .... but is it that uncommon around our area? I think it's Brindled White-spot.

Rustic?

 I wonder if this is my first Rustic of the year. Overall it looked rougher and the markings much less distinct. Maybe it's just a worn Uncertain though. Thoughts? 

Two pictures, same moth, different exposures.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford.

Obscure Wainscot?

I considered Obscure Wainscot for this one this morning but was thrown by the central line of dots which don't appear in the field guide. But I see from Keith Mitchell's post on 24 June that the Southern? which Dave Wilton thought could be Obscure looks very similar. I think they could be Obscure after comparing more photos with https://britishlepidoptera.weebly.com/302-leucania-obsoleta-obscure-wainscot.html. Forewing length is 16mm.

Janice, Milton Keynes 

Minor Shoulder-knot?

 I think this is a Minor Shoulder-knot, trapped last night. Another new one for my garden in Merton if correct.....

Stumped again!

I feel that both these should be pretty easy to pin down, but I can't. Help please? 

Thanks, David

Away trapping

Peter Hall visited us from Scotland earlier in the week and we went out trapping for two of the nights.  Bernwood Forest on Tuesday 21st was very successful, with the expected local specialist species all turning up.  Small Black Arches appeared in some numbers, a couple of Common Fan-foot were seen at the end of their flight period and a single Triangle in Hell Coppice was the first to be recorded there for three or four years.  Several Orange Moths also graced the traps, this being one of the few sites in our region where the moth is guaranteed to appear.

Triangle, Bernwood 21st June

Small Black Arches, Bernwood 21st June

On Wednesday 22nd we went to the chalk down-land at Grangelands near Princes Risborough, Bucks where the species total was getting on for 200 between our four lights, so another highly successful three-hour session.  Highlights there included two Lappet (one of them a very fat female), several Royal Mantle and a single Great Oak Beauty at one of the most northerly known sites for it in our area.

Lappet female, Grangelands 22nd June

Royal Mantle, Grangelands 22nd June

Great Oak Beauty, Grangelands 22nd June

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks    

Westcott, Bucks

Like others I've been guilty of uploading few posts here recently, mainly due to lack of time thanks to how long it takes to get through each night's catch at the moment, especially if I'm also trapping away from home which I've been doing a lot of recently.  However, there hasn't been a great deal out of the ordinary (until last night) and I've taken very few photographs.

The "mini heat-wave" nights of the 16th and 17th certainly kick-started emergences locally and this year's garden list has been growing quite healthily ever since.  It is somewhere just past the 400 species mark now, about where it should be for this time of year (that total was achieved on 4th July in 2021, 23rd June in 2020, 28th June in 2019, 29th June in 2018).  There are obviously quite a few dissections needed to achieve an accurate total so that won't be known until later in the year.  The following have been added since the 16th:  

     (16th)  Swammerdamia pyrella, Argyresthia curvella, Prays fraxinella, Borkhausenia fuscescens, Crassa unitella, Carcina quercana, Parachronistis albiceps, Mompha ochraceella, Archips xylosteana, Clepsis consimilana, Aleimma loeflingiana, Gynnidomorpha alismana, Lobster Moth, Scarce Footman, Scarlet Tiger, Double Square-spot, Lunar-spotted Pinion, Dingy Shears & Small Ranunculus.

     (17th)  Paraswammerdamia albicapitella, Batia lunaris, Anarsia innoxiella, Teleiodes vulgella, Carpatolechia fugitivella, Blastodacna hellerella, Ptycholoma lecheana, Lozotaenia forsterana, Enarmonia formosana, Ancylis achatana, Eucosma campoliliana, Cydia pomonella, Grapholita janthinana, Pammene regiana, Ephestia woodiella, Lilac Beauty, Swallow-tailed Moth, Sallow Kitten & Scarce Silver-lines.

     (18th)  Four-dotted Footman & Smoky Wainscot.

     (19th)  Rustic.

     (20th)  Hedya salicella, Epinotia signatana, Endotricha flammealis, Large Emerald, Yellow Shell & Humming-bird Hawk-moth (by day, nectaring from flowers of philadelphus).

     (21st)  Triaxomasia caprimulgella (to LUN lure by day, a first for the garden), Phtheochroa rugosana, Buff Arches, July Highflyer & Clay.

     (22nd) Tinea trinotella, Yponomeuta evonymella, Scythropia crataegella, Aethes beatricella, Apotomis capreana, Lobesia abscisana, Euzophera pinguis, Eudonia mercurella, Least Carpet, Dwarf Cream Wave & Large Twin-spot Carpet.

     (23rd)  Ethmia dodecea, Agapeta zoegana, Hedya ochroleucana, Udea prunalis, Calamotropha paludella, Ghost Moth, Haworth's Pug, Engrailed, Rosy Footman, Buff Footman, Sycamore, Light Arches &  Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.

     (24th)  Pandemis heparana, Bordered Straw, Old Lady (wings only, a bat casualty), Olive & Delicate.

Triaxomasia caprimulgella, Westcott 21st June

Rosy Footman, Westcott 23rd June

Delicate & Bordered Straw, Westcott 24th June

Rosy Footman (the first here since 2017) and Small Ranunculus (only the third ever garden record) were very nice to see.  Despite favourable conditions, apart from Silver Y there was no sign at all of migrant activity over this period until Delicate and Bordered Straw turned up together last night.  They have been recorded here several times in the past, the last occasion for both being in 2019.  Amongst the various Coleophorids, etc waiting to be checked are an Aproaerema (was Syncopacma) from the 23rd and a washed-out Apotomis from the 22nd which might be lineana (a potential garden first).

The regular Footman moths have started here in earnest now, with only Dingy still to be recorded.  However, I'm still seeing larvae grazing the lichens on our boundary fence so there will presumably be quite a protracted emergence.  Numbers of Heart & Dart, Large Yellow Underwing and Dark Arches are increasing so maybe they'll have a better year than they did in 2021.

Scarlet Tiger seems to be well established in the local area now because I've had half a dozen records in the garden already, including the one below trying unsuccessfully to hide in our patch of bird's-foot trefoil this morning.  I also trapped one on the nearby Waddesdon Estate on the 16th and noticed another flying along Waddesdon High Street this morning.  It is always a pleasure to see such a pretty moth flying in daylight.     

Scarlet Tiger, Westcott 25th June

White Ermine has had a record year in the garden with 125 recorded between 28th April and 23rd June, more than double the previous highest annual tally.  It looks as though Elephant Hawk-moth is also heading for its best ever year with regular double-digit counts since the "mini heat-wave", the highest nightly total so far being 21 on 22nd June. 

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks  

Small Tortrix

 This tortrix was considerable smaller than the male postvittanas. Could it be possibly Acleris aspersana?

Southern?

 Is this a reasonable candidate for Southern Wainscot (which would be a Stoke Goldington garden first)? It just stood out against the other Mythimna wainscots as being different.  Unfortunately, I omitted to check for the headband, and underwing features.

2 more micros

 The last 2 micros from last night that I am struggling with. I feel they should be obvious but I have seen so many moths in the last few days I am going cross-eyed!

The first 2 images are the same moth 9mm in length. The moth in the third image is 7mm in length.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Pink Cochylis and battered Minor?

 This pink Cochylis is 7.5mm in length. I thought it looked a bit more like flaviciliana than the much more likely roseana.

The second image shows what I assume is a very battered Marbled Minor agg. It just looked very orange compared to most.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Ethmia dodecea

 Ethmia dodecea turned up last night, first time here.

Mark Griffiths, Garsington, Oxford

Pandemis cerasana?

 Of the possible options, I'm plumping for cerasana - am I right?

Best wishes

David

High season

Sorry not to have posted for a while but things have been predictable here in Thrupp, although very abundant.  I'm prompted to send these portfolio pics of recent arrivals by Steve's post on 20 June about the smart little black micro with the white line, which also comes here. Spot the butterfly, too, which I've included because it's a Black Hairstreak.  It's taken me 72 years to see one of these, early yesterday at Bladon Heath where it was sipping from brambles with a friend and two White Admirals.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon

Two similar species

 Dave W very helpfully put me right on the second of these (H. prunaria) and advised me to look out for H. nubiferana as well. Please sir, I think I've found it (top image)! Here are the two for comparison.