Autumn slow-down

Despite the weather and temperatures not having changed significantly in the last week, the moths seem to be aware that it's September, and have decreased in variety and in overall numbers considerably. Where in early August we had 117 Mothers-of-pearl in the trap in one night, recent nights have had them reduced to fewer than ten, and the total number of moths on some nights considerably lower than 117. Notwithstanding, and in line with the change of seasons, new species are continuing to turn up, although not as frequently as they did over the summer: it was lovely recently to see our first Angle Shades of the year, and I was grateful to Peter Hall, one of Butterfly Conservations Upper Thames Branch's resident experts, who shows tremendous patience in correcting my misapprehensions, for pointing out that what I thought was a Lychnis was in fact our first Campion of 2013. I've also enjoyed regular appearances from Lime-speck Pugs: they make a nice change to the usual rule of greeting the appearance of pugs with a weary acceptance that a tricky ID challenge is in store. Anyway: we now have a total of 372 (358 moths, 14 butterflies), and despite the slow-down, I'm hopeful of making 400 by the end of the year.

Angle Shades, 1st September

Campion, 2nd September