Westcott, Bucks

1st August saw probably the final 100+ species session of the year in the garden because the "August lull" is now well and truly with us.  Subsequent nights have seen only between 70 and 90 species each time, even on the 9th and 10th when the overnight temperature rose again as we entered another heat-wave.  New adult arrivals for the year-list have dropped away accordingly:    

     (1st)  Argyresthia semifusca, Agonopterix liturosa, Depressaria sordidatella, Epermenia falciformis, Flame Carpet, Wormwood, Bulrush Wainscot. 

     (2nd)  - nil -

     (3rd)  Tischeria ekebladella, Orange Swift, Svensson's Copper Underwing.

     (4th)  Marbled Beauty.

     (5th)  - nil -

     (6th)  - nil -

     (7th)  Square-spot Rustic.

     (8th)  Cabbage Moth, Six-striped Rustic.

     (9th)  Caloptilia stigmatella, Scrobipalpa ocellatella, Juniper Pug.

     (10th)  Ypsolopha scabrella.  

Of the above, both Wormwood (1st, see here) and Scrobipalpa ocellatella (9th, waiting to be checked) are new for the site.  The latter seems to be popping up all over the place now, well away from sugar beet fields, so either there has been a lot of dispersal in the hot weather or perhaps it has found another food-plant.  I had a better marked one in the middle of a wood in the far north of the county a few days earlier.  Depressaria sordidatella will need to be checked as both it and Depressaria ultimella have been found here at this time in the season over the past few years.  The Juniper Pug is only the second to be recorded in the garden after one back in August 2012, all of my other records (30+) having been from sites in the Chilterns which have the food-plant growing wild.  We do have a young Juniper bush here and there are undoubtedly others in local gardens which it could be using. 

Argyresthia semifusca, Westcott 1st August

Likely Depressaria sordidatella, Westcott 1st August

Likely Scrobipalpa ocellatella, Westcott 9th August

Orange Swift, Westcott 3rd August

Juniper Pug, Westcott 9th August

Six-striped Rustic, Westcott 8th August

Highest counts over the period have been provided by Flame Shoulder, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Common Wainscot & Straw Dot amongst the macros and Cochylis molliculana, Agriphila straminella, Agriphila tristella & Patania ruralis amongst the micros.  Second broods which have now started include Common Marbled Carpet, Yellow-barred Brindle & Light Emerald.  I'm also getting a fair few Common Waves each session and last night (10th) an unusual melanic example appeared.

Common Wave, Westcott 10th August

Migrant activity was again limited to the commonest species as follows:  Plutella xylostella/Diamond-back Moth (singletons on 7th & 9th), Udea ferrugalis/Rusty-dot Pearl (singleton on 8th), Nomophila noctuella/Rush Veneer (singletons on 2nd, 5th & 8th, three on 3rd & 4th, two on 9th) and Dark Sword-grass (singletons on 1st & 7th).

Since the beginning of the month I've been running a wine rope roughly every other night in the front garden, away from the lights at the back, and it has been quite busy each time with various species.  It is there in the hope of bringing in some of the more interesting Underwings but to date the only larger moths seen have been Copper Underwing agg. (five or six each time), Red Underwing (one on 7th, two on 9th) and Old Lady (one on 3rd, one on 9th).

Old Lady, Westcott 3rd August

There has been daily activity on our buddleia from Hummingbird Hawk-moths throughout this period, including a pair seen together on the 5th, three at once on the 7th, 8th & 9th and then four on the 10th which is the most I've ever had at one time.  A male Vapourer was seen flying around the garden on the 7th while a smart Jersey Tiger joined the hummers on the buddleia on the 8th, my first daytime sighting here.  Far fewer than a lot of other recorders further south, I'm sure, but I've now had 15 Jersey Tigers to light this year as well so this lovely moth is presumably well established locally.  

Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Westcott 8th August

Jersey Tiger, Westcott 8th August

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks