Westcott, Bucks

Much of this two-week period was very disappointing indeed for moths because the country was trapped in Arctic northerlies for a large part of it, resulting in some very chilly days as well as nights.  It started off well with some decent sessions and on the night of 3rd June the catch came to 198 individuals of 83 species, but then the weather deteriorated and on the night of the 10th the two garden traps produced only nine moths of eight species, quite unprecedented for this time of year.  By the end of the period counts had slowly begun to increase again, with 56 individuals of 35 species on the 15th, although that total is still quite a way below what I'd usually expect to be getting in mid-June.

The year-list count is currently in the 290s but that doesn't yet include the results of any dissections so the actual position will now be well past 300, a milestone normally achieved here during the second week of June.  It would therefore seem that, despite the cold snap, the moths are appearing roughly when they should be even if their overall numbers are depressed.  Adult species added over this period have included the following:

     (1st)  Parapoynx stratiotata/Ringed China-mark

     (2nd)  Monopis crocicapitella, Ditula angustiorana, Pandemis cerasana, Hedya nubiferana, Eudonia pallida, Crambus perlella, Nymphula nitidulata/Beautiful China-mark, Red-tipped Clearwing (daytime, to lure), Small Elephant Hawk-moth, Treble Brown Spot, Barred Yellow, Green Pug, Beautiful Hook-tip, Brown Rustic, Dark Arches

     (3rd)  Prays fraxinella, Choristoneura hebenstreitella, Clepsis consimilana, Agapeta hamana, Eucosma cana, Eucosma hohenwartiana (retained for checking), Cydia pomonella, Myelois circumvoluta, Anania perlucidalis, Small Dusty Wave, Yellow Shell, Varied Coronet

     (4th)  Blue-bordered Carpet

     (5th)  Sloe Pug, Heart and Club

     (6th)    - nil -

     (7th)  Tortrix viridana

     (8th)  Orange-tailed Clearwing (daytime, to lure)

     (9th)  Bryotropha terrella, Scoparia basistrigalis

     (10th)  - nil -  

     (11th)  - nil -

     (12th)  Barred Straw 

     (13th)  Metalampra italica, Elephant Hawk-moth, Lilac Beauty   

     (14th)  Archips podana, Four-dotted Footman, Light Arches 

     (15th)  Celypha striana, Uncertain 

Archips podana, Westcott 14th June

Nymphula nitidulata, Westcott 2nd June

Green Pug, Westcott 2nd June

Varied Coronet, Westcott 3rd June

The smart Varied Coronet was undoubtedly this period's best visitor.  It makes only occasional appearances in the garden and this was the first since 2019.  There was nothing else unexpected and the only other moth worthy of note was the rather odd-looking example of Udea olivalis shown below.  In good condition, it lacks the usual square of white at mid-wing and the other white markings are either subdued or absent.

Udea olivalis, Westcott 3rd June

The Gypsy Moth caterpillars which I've been rearing from an egg-mass found on a wall of our house back on 4th May (see here) are now in their final instar and should be pupating very soon.  

Gypsy Moth larva, Westcott 15th June

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks