Westcott, Bucks

Orthosia species continue to dominate the nightly catches here, accounting for 37 of last night's 45 individual moths.  As at 31st March the garden year-list stood at 63 species (59 adults, four early stages), with adult additions during the second half of March being as follows:

     (16th)  Blossom Underwing

     (18th)  Brindled Beauty

     (19th)  Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Brindled Pug

     (20th)  Powdered Quaker

     (26th)  Plutella xylostella, Nut-tree Tussock

     (30th)  Emperor Moth (daytime, to EMP lure), Scorched Carpet, Herald

     (31st)  Chinese Character, Brimstone Moth

Plutella xylostella, Westcott 26th March

Scorched Carpet, Westcott 30th March

Herald, Westcott 30th March

Nut-tree Tussock, Westcott 26th March

Blossom Underwing, Westcott 16th March

Over the past 20 years I've recorded 99 different adult moth species in the garden here during the first quarter of the season (53 macros, 46 micros).  While the 2024 count of 59 is a record for any individual year, exceeding 57 achieved in 2021, those 59 species comprised 38 macros (only just a record total, beating 37 recorded in 2017 & 2019) and 21 micros (not a record because 22 were seen in 2021).  So, despite the way things were looking back in February, the first quarter species total wasn't hugely better than what has been achieved here over the past few years.

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks