July highlights / August slowdown

As most seem to have found, July really was very good for moths here in Wolvercote, Oxfordshire: numbers of individuals in the trap were over 300 a number of times, almost hitting 400 on 20th July and eventually breaking that barrier with 413 on 26th July, and were over 80 species on several nights (84 on the 26th): the total number of species we totted up was 233, with good numbers of species new to the garden. Among those were a handsome Vapourer, a female Bulrush Wainscot, Lunar-spotted Pinion, Least Carpet and Nut-tree Tussock; while familiar species we were glad to see included Drinker, Eucosma cana and Maiden's Blush.

Female Bulrush Wainscot, 25/7/14

Drinker, 18/7/14

Eucosma campoliliana, 16/7/14

Least Carpet, 13/7/14

Lunar-spotted Pinion, 11/7/14

Maiden's Blush, 26/7/14

Nut-tree Tussock, 21/7/14

Vapourer, 15/7/14

August for the time being has gone rather quiet, with an abrupt end to the warmer weather, although recent additions to the garden list have included nice species such as Oblique Carpet, Tawny-barred Angle and Twin-spotted Wainscot. All of which leaves my current total as 368: 352 moths and sixteen butterflies.

Oblique Carpet, 6/8/14

Tawny-barred Angle, 5/8/14

Twin-spotted Wainscot, 4/8/14

Garden tiger

It has been a fantastic summer for moths .. So far
279 species
Finally I got a Garden Tiger
Scarce around here and a 6th for Norfolk! The day flying Nemophora fasciella .. Plus a nationally scarce Square spotted Clay (my second record following one last year)

July - A Good Mothing Month

This was the best July so far in 6 years of mothing. There were several new for garden macros including Birch Mocha, Scorched Carpet, Sand Dart and Small Purple-barred. Also nice to get were Scarlet Tiger and Least Carpet. Some of the nicer micros were Cydia amplana, Oncera semirubella, Gold Triangle and a new one, Catoptria margaritella.

Let's hope August carries on as well as July.

Total for GMC 395

Birch Mocha

Least Carpet

Scorched Carpet

Scarlet Tiger

Sand Dart

Cydia amplana

Catoptria margaritella

Gold Triangle

Oncera semirubella

Small Purple-barred

Weston-super-Mare Moths

Year list now stands at 331 falling short of the 400 target by the end of the year but with 28 new for the garden I have no complaints. I've been trapping in the garden since 2006 and never attempted a garden year list before so this has been quite an eye opener. Most recent addition to the garden list has been a long awaited Jersey Tiger.

Jersey Tiger

Bordered White

Another month gone!

Well another month gone - and quite a good one in mothing terms. Highlights since my last post have been Waved Black and Barred hook-tip (both new to the garden) - but lots of other welcome visitors including Barred Rivulet, Least Carpet, Agapeta zoegana, Cochylis roseana, Eudemis profundana, Grapholita janthinana, Pine Leaf-mining Moth and Small China-mark.  My latest total as at 1st August is 381 (371 moths + 10 butterflies) - grahamc (Leicestershire)

,

Me again in Bucks.

Continued trapping has brought more new species into the garden. I'm glad July has made up for such a poor start to the year.

189. Orange Swift
190. Yponomeuta evonymella (Bird-cherry Ermine)
191. Ypsolopha horridella
192. Blastobasis adustella
193. Argyrotaenia ljungiana
194. Apotomis betuletana
195. Epinotia nisella
196. Cydia splendana
197. Agriphila tristella
198. Pyrausta purpuralis
199. Meal Moth
200. Scalloped Hook-tip
201. Small Phoenix
202. Small Rivulet
203. Scorched Carpet
204. Canary-shouldered Thorn
205. Dusky Thorn
206. Pine Hawk-moth (new for all-time garden list)

 Canary-shouldered Thorn

Pine Hawk-moth

Bucks Update

After playing away from home last week down in Dorset, I've been back to home trapping and have a few more species to add to my garden list, although I can see my garden is still seriously lagging behind this year...

132. Argyresthia goedartella
133. Roeslerstammia erxlebella
134. Ypsolopha dentella (Honeysuckle Moth)
135. Ypsolopha scabrella
136. Carcena quercana
137. Athrips mouffetella
138. Oegoconia quadripuncta agg.
139. Blastobasis lacticolella
140. Chrysoclista linneella
141. Pandemis corylana (Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix)
142. Acleris forsskaleana
143. Dichrorampha alpinana
144. Crambus lathoniellus
145. Catoptria pinella
146. Catoptria falsella
147. Phlyctaenia coronata
148. Tracycera suavella
149. Phycita roborella
150. Oak Hook-tip
151. Chinese Character
152. Small Emerald
153. Maiden's Blush
154. Clay Triple-lines
155. Small Fan-footed Wave
156. Common Carpet
157. Phoenix
158. Foxglove Pug
159. Currant Pug
160. Tawny-speckled Pug
161. Clouded Border
162. August Thorn
163. September Thorn
164. Elephant Hawk-moth
165. Sallow Kitten
166. Iron Prominent
167. Pebble Prominent
168. Coxcomb Prominent
169. Pale Prominent
170. Black Arches
171. Hoary Footman
172. Scarce Footman
173. Ruby Tiger
174. Shuttle Shaped Dart
175. Flame Shoulder
176. Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
177. Bright-line Brown-eye
178. Broad-barred White
179. Brown-line Bright-eye
180. Smoky Wainscot
181. Coronet
182. Marbled Beauty
183. Mouse Moth
184. Dun-bar
185. Cloaked Minor
186. Common Rustic agg.
187. Rustic
188. Nut-tree Tussock

Nice to see some of the stuff I've seen elsewhere much earlier in the year finally making it over the fence :)