Westcott, Bucks

I was away for a week at the end of August into the beginning of September so missed out on the invasion of Loxostege sticticalis, although as consolation I did see several of them in Spain.  Upon my return it was not a great surprise to find that catches had fallen, with the average now being 40-50 species per night, while Large Yellow Underwing has taken over as the most numerous moth.  Additions to the garden list for 2022 since the last report have been as follows:  

     (23rd)  - nil -

     (24th)  Epinotia trigonella, Feathered Gothic, Pearly Underwing.

     (25th)  - nil -  

     (26th)  - nil -

     (27th Aug to 2nd Sept)  Away, no garden trapping

     (3rd)   Epinotia immundana.

     (4th)    Parectopa ononidis, Amblyptilia punctidactyla, Cacoecimorpha pronubana, Jersey Mocha (to be confirmed), Orange Sallow, Red-line Quaker.

     (5th)    Acleris sparsana, Sallow.

     (6th)   Black Rustic.

     (7th)   - nil -

Epinotia trigonella, Westcott 24th August

Parectopa ononidis, Westcott 4th September

Likely Jersey Mocha, Westcott 4th September

Sallow, Westcott 5th September

The traps on 23rd August actually produced a Nepticulid and a plain silver Argyresthia species (possibly glabratella which would be new for the garden) but confirmation of their identities, and whether or not they were new for the year-list, will have to await eventual dissection.  Epinotia trigonella (24th) and the putative Jersey Mocha (4th) were definitely new for the site, though.  The latter looks spot-on for the species but was a female so dissection won't help (most female Cyclophora species can't be determined that way).  I'll have to rely on her laying some eggs.  I don't often see the tiny clover-feeding Graccillariid Parectopa ononidis (4th) and this was only the sixth record for the garden, but also the third year in a row that it has appeared here so maybe it now likes our "lawn" which consists mostly of its food-plant plus buttercups, daisies and mosses!  

As Martin Townsend mentioned a few days ago, it is necessary to be a little bit careful with all these examples of Scrobipalpa ocellatella which are still being reported even now.  I know it is a much lower total than some people in counties further east and south of Bucks have been seeing, but since my first 2022 sighting in the county on 29th July I've had 39 individuals to light, 18 of them in the garden, and I've noticed very little variation.  If they have the lighter dorsum and clear black spots outlined in a paler colour then to my mind they are instantly recognisable as ocellatella.  However, amongst them I've seen three or four examples without the pale dorsum, including one in the garden on the 5th (image below), which have all been retained for dissection.  They could well be Scrobipalpa atriplicella which is listed as nationally scarce but I have had it here previously.  Also on the 5th I trapped an example of Scrobipalpa costella which is a common and instantly recognisable member of that family but could, if you are not paying attention, also be confused with ocellatella. 

Scrobipalpa species, Westcott 5th September

Scrobipalpa costella, Westcott 5th September

In the actinic trap on 6th September I found a rather damp example of Short-cloaked Moth glued to a soaking wet egg-box, hence it looking rather faded in the image below.  The small second brood of this species seems to be becoming more and more frequent and I've now had September/October records of it in 2006, 2014, 2018, 2021 & 2022.  Since 21st July I've had six examples of Dark Spectacle to the garden traps, the most recent one also on the 6th, and this species must surely be a local resident now.  It first appeared here in 2006 (a good migrant year) then, following a ten year period with no records, it has visited the garden annually since 2016 in low but ever-increasing numbers.

Short-cloaked Moth, Westcott 6th September

Dark Spectacle, Westcott 6th September

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks