Gem

 A couple of nfg  on Monday night, a gem and a bit of a tatty Pine Hawk-moth.

Mike Banbury

Eggars - garden first

A surprise addition to my Stoke Goldington, Bucks, garden list last night, when two scarce and impressive Oak Eggars were attracted to my actinic Robinson trap. 

Coleophora paripennella?

Are these images good enough to identify this as Coleophora paripennella? The apical portion of one antenna is white or whitish (the other antenna appears to be truncated), and the overall appearance is shining metallic brown. The Field Guide considers the species common and widespread, but there appear to be very few records in the region, so maybe it needs further confirmation?
Thanks
Phil T

 

Lesser-spotted Pinion?

I had this small rather tatty moth to my garden trap last night and wondered if it is a Lesser-spotted Pinion? If so, it would be a new addition to my garden list.

I also recorded my very first Gold Spot in the garden.

Finally, I wouldn't normally post a pug query at this time of year, as I know it very difficult to identify pugs from photos, but I did wonder if this one is a good candidate for Narrow-winged Pug?

Steve Trigg, Cookham

Wood Carpet?

 Is this Carpet moth a possible Wood Carpet. I realise they are very similar to the Common Carpet.

 

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

200+ Cholsey

 I know 203 species is nothing special for seasoned observers. I got an MV trap at the end of May and had no idea about the moth world before I started. To reach that number inside 2 months seems remarkable to me, especially as commenters are saying it's a poor season. It just goes to show how much people in general are not aware of - me included. No doubt the enthusiasm will wear off as time goes on, but for the moment I thought I'd share my puppy like excitement.

Cheers

Andy

Ruddy Carpet Cholsey

 This seems to be uncommon in the area. Am I right it's a Ruddy Carpet? Caught last night.

Thanks

Andy

Coleophora?

 Id help appreciated please - is this one of the coleophora spp?
Thanks

Eythrope, Bucks

In collaboration with the River Thame Conservation Trust, the Freshwater Habitats Trust and the Environment Agency, the Waddesdon Estate has over the past few years been in the process of creating a large area of wetland habitat (32 hectares) between tributaries of the River Thame at Eythrope and this is slowly maturing into quite a special place for wildlife.  A visit last night as part of a day-long survey by the Bucks Invertebrate Group saw Neil Fletcher, Martin Harvey and myself run five MV lights until midnight.  Amongst the moths on show were examples of Brown-veined Wainscot, Crescent and Dotted Fan-foot which seem to have colonised the reeds on site already.  Monochroa palustrellus was probably the best of the smaller moths seen, only a few micros venturing out as the temperature fell quite rapidly after dark and mist began to roll in.

Monochroa pallustrellus, Eythrope 27th July

Crescent, Eythrope 27th July

Brown-veined Wainscot, Eythrope 27th July

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks

Odd Eudonia, an Enarmonia plus an unknown

I would much appreciate thoughts on these three: 23 July in my Oxford garden.

1. Is this a poorly marked Eudonia? I get plenty of mercurella and lacustrata, but this looks like neither.

2. And my hunch here is Enarmonia formosana?

3. This one has so few distinguishing features I am struggling.

Like others I got a lot of ermines on 23 July, including 5 bird cherry as well as 36 orchard/apple/other.

Puzzling Plume!

 

This Plume moth, which came to my MV light last night is causing me some difficulty. I would probably have passed it off as Brown Plume, but for the fact that, by chance, I had just read about Stenoptilia zophodactylus in the Micro-moth Field Tips book, which mentioned a white saddle, and to the naked eye, this moth certainly appeared to have a contrastingly pale saddle.

Having now examined my photos in detail, I still think it is S. zophodactylus, rather than S. bipunctidactyla, which appears to be the likely confusion species. I base this mainly on the disposition of the dark spots at the base of the cleft, which matches the description in Sterling & Parsons of "two spots, the second of these fainter and obliquely displaced towards the costa". Such a feature is not mentioned for bipunctidactyla, rather that the spots at the base of the cleft in that species are fused. However there is no spot at one third, nor are there any significant black spots in the terminal cilia, though this doesn’t rule either species in or out since both should have some spots.
The saddle in fact looks pale buff with white edges, rather than plain white, but images of bipunctidactyla show the saddle as being roughly concolourous with the other segments, with contrasting white edges, whereas here the whole saddle appears contrastingly paler.  
UK Moths says white legs are a defining feature and also notes that its legs are thinner than its congeners—hard to say, but they do look fairly thin—but only the middle pair of legs appear to be all white.

As far as I am aware, there are none of the food plants of either species in the vicinity!

 

Caterpillar Id. I'm sure this is a common one but can anyone help please?

 

Steve Lockey (Garsington)

Smart antennae

 Can anyone help with identifying this smart looking micro from last night? Nice number of ermines too.

Many thanks

Barnaby Briggs

Iver, Bucks

Hoary or Scarce? OX10 9LS

 I've got the specimen and the apps say Hoary but comments in previous posts say I need to check the hindwing. I'm new to this and don't know how to get to see the hindwings without doing damage to the moth as it doesn't want to unfurl itself. Any advice please?

Ermine invasion

I have had the biggest invasion of moths in all my 16 years of light trapping - hundreds of ermine micros all over the trap itself and around. The mere sight of them tired me too much to attempt much in the way of ID, especially given my record of blunders. But here are some pics. More cheeringly, from my point of view, the Kent Black Arches has arrived here, to be welcomed by a particular favourite of mine, the Tree-lichen Beauty.  Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon 

Another query

 This looks like Y cagnagella to me, but I know this genus is tricky. We have spindleberry in the garden.

Can I be certain from the pattern of spots and the lack of any grey or not?

Thanks, David

Another new garden record

 Opostega salaciella recorded last night.

Also a Common Carpet with an unusually narrow central band.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Help please!

 These two micros came to light the other night. I'm not sure either has enough detail to ID with certainty. Any thoughts, please? Nos 1 and 2 are the same specimen.

Thanks, David

 I have bred a female Gypsy Moth from a local wood, where, after feeding (sugar), it will be released in a day or two UNLESS someone would like it for assembling.  07947065444

Robin

Denham UB95BN

Two grey micros and a Eudemis?

 These two patterned grey micros came to my Oxford garden, 1. on 12 July; 2. on 19 July and have stumped me. The third one here I think is Eudemis profundana also from 19 July.

1.

2. 

A couple of Elachistas

 Friday 19th was the best night this year for me with five or perhaps six "lifers" including these two Elachistas.

The first looks to be either Elachista albifrontella, or apicipunctella, but the second appears as if it could be Elachista luticomella. However as they were virtually together in the trap, it seems much more likely that they are both the same species, although in an internet search, I couldn't find any examples of the former two species with yellowish head and markings. I have the second for dissection if necessary, but not the first.

The other new species were a couple of Tineids, Morophaga choragella and Tinea trinotella,

plus Oncocera semirubella and Acleris aspersana.

Some new records for the garden

 Rosy Footman and Kent Black Arches finally made it to Sibford in the last couple of nights.

Notocelia roborana was also new for the garden although I am surprised I have not had it before.

What I think is probably just a pale Scarce Footman but I would appreciate confirmation that it is not Hoary.

Andy Newbold, Sibford Ferris, Oxon.

Evergestis limbata

A couple of recordings of Evergestis limbata were posted on this blog in June. I had one to my garden trap on Thursday 18th July - a new garden record.

The same evening I also had this very fresh looking Nymphula nitidulata.

Steve Trigg, Cookham