Westcott, Bucks

New arrivals for the garden year-list were few and far between during the second half of August with only the following recorded:

     (16th)  Agriphila geniculea

     (17th)  Cypress Pug

     (21st)  Centre-barred Sallow

     (22nd)  Frosted Orange

     (23rd)  Udea ferrugalis

     (27th)  Pyrausta despicata, Oak Hook-tip

     (29th)  Feathered Gothic 

     (30th)  Anania crocealis, Orange Sallow

     (31st)  Mompha raschkiella, Latticed Heath

Mompha raschkiella, Westcott 31st August

Pyrausta despicata, Westcott 27th August

Anania crocealis, Westcott 30th August

Cypress Pug, Westcott 17th August

Orange Sallow, Westcott 30th August

Catches since the last report from the garden have varied considerably but last night's count from the final session of this two-week period brought in 388 moths of 59 species which is quite acceptable in my garden at the end of August.  Highest counts were provided by Small Square-spot (53), Large Yellow Underwing (42), Setaceous Hebrew Character (39), Square-spot Rustic (24) & White-point (22).  The numbers of micro-moths are dwindling now but the unidentifiable Yponomeuta species (cagnagella/malinellus/padella) are still hanging on and there were 25 of them here last night.   

 

On 18th August a brief wander around the garden looking for leaf mines produced a goodly number, including evidence of nine micro-moth species which I haven't yet recorded here as adults this year (although some of them could still turn up amongst those Nepticulids etc which I've retained for dissection).  Best find was the first mine I've ever seen on our purging buckthorn, this being a single vacated example of Stigmella catharticella. A more thorough search of the same bush a week or so later produced another vacated mine of the same species. We've had both purging buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica and alder buckthorn Frangula alnus growing here for ten or more years now and all that I've found on either bush to date have been caterpillars of Yellow-tail and the Brimstone butterfly.  

Stigmella catharticella mine on buckthorn, Westcott 18th Aug

During the search for mines on 18th August I came across a near fully-grown caterpillar of Grey Dagger on our hawthorn.  At least it is fairly easy to distinguish Grey Dagger from Dark Dagger at the larval stage, unlike when they are adults.

Grey Dagger caterpillar, Westcott 18th August

Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks