Netted Argent

Netted Argent - Argyresthia retinella

Short-barred Groundling

 

Short-barred Groundling - Caryocolum blandella - Gore Lane. This neat little 'gelechiid' was the highlight of this afternoon's moth search along Gore Lane.

 

It's amazing how enjoyable gently tapping a hedge with a stick can be! I spent about an hour after work, looking for moths along Gore Lane, and recorded Cinnabar, Snout, Yellow Shell, Scorched Carpet, Ruddy Carpet, Wood Carpet, Clouded Border, Dwarf Cream Wave, V-Pug, Double-striped Pug, Large Ivy Tortrix, Common Marble, Beautiful Plume, Riband Wave, Small Blood Vein, Barred Yellow, Short-barred Groundling, Diamond-back Moth and a couple unidentified micro species.

On the bird front - 23 Sandwich Tern and a single Manx Shearwater off the seafront were as good as it got!

 

I think this is Hedya pruniara or H. Ochroleucana. Either way it's a common bird-dropping mimic as I found several along a short stretch of hedgerow.

Wood Carpet

Dwarf Cream Wave - good numbers present along a short stretch of hedgerow.

Scorched Carpet - a small colony of this species was found.

Barred Yellow

 

Coleophora sp

Royal Mantle

Royal Mantle - a gorgeous moth and one that I haven't seen for over 10 years.

 

Trapped in the garden last night - macros (67 species) - Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, Small Dusty Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, Ruddy Carpet, Royal Mantle, Barred Straw, Common Marbled Carpet, Rivulet, Slender Pug, Haworth's Pug, Foxglove Pug, Lime-speck Pug, Common Pug, Grey Pug, V-Pug, Double-striped Pug, Small Yellow Wave, Brimstone, Scalloped Oak, Swallow-tailed Moth, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Brussels Lace, Common Wave, Clouded Silver, Light Emerald, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Buff-tip, Rosy Footman, Buff Footman, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, The Flame, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, True Lover's Knot, Bright-line Brown-eye, Lychnis, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, L-album Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Poplar Grey, Sycamore, Small Angle Shades, Dun-bar, Dark Arches, Light Arches, Minor Agg, Uncertain, Mottled Rustic, Pale Mottled Willow, Marbled White Spot, Silver Y, Spectacle, Beautiful Hook-tip, Snout, Fan-foot and Small Fan-foot.

Micros included Coastal Pearl, Elder Pearl, Ox-Tongue Conch, Ruddy Streak, Barred Marble, Triangle-marked Roller, Hoary Bell, Garden Grass-veneer and Bee moth.

Heart and Club - a heavily marked and very striking individual.

Slender Pug - a bit thin on the ground this year - outnumbered by Haworth's Pug by quite some margin.

Dun-bar - my first this year.

 Shoulder-striped Wainscot - interesting to see next to L-album Wainscot (below).

 

 L-album Wainscot

True Lover's Knot - one of two trapped last night - a stunning species.

Common Cloaked Shoot - Gypsonoma dealbana - one of numerous bird-dropping mimics.

Rivulet

tortrix sp

Triangle-marked Roller - Ancylis achatana

Dragonfly sp - Woodbury Common - Edit - Keeled Skimmer (immature male) - many thanks Steve!

Small Purple-barred - small numbers of these on the wing this afternoon, up on Woodbury Common. Other moth species noted were Silver Y, Diamond-back Moth, July Belle, Heather Knot-horn, Grass Veneer, Common Marble, Narrow-winged Pug and, best of all, a Beautiful Yellow Underwing that wouldn't stay still long enough to have its photo taken.

Keeled Skimmer (adult male)

 

Keeled Skimmer (teneral (immature) female) - thanks again Steve!

Ghost

Ghost Moth - male trapped in the garden last night.

Small Magpie

Beautiful Golden Y

 

Beautiful Golden Y - yet another lovely moth trapped by Martin out at Kentisbeare. A massive thank you to Martin for letting me see it and for finally ending the years of 'Golden Y drought'.

 

The Beautiful Golden Y was the clear highlight today but I saw a few nice bits and pieces on East Budleigh Common, including White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Silver-studded Blue, Green Hairstreak, Ringlet, Scarlet Tiger, Marbled White-spot, Green Carpet, Common Wave, Common White Wave, Yellow Shell, Clouded Border and Single-dotted Wave.

A very quick look off Mudbank produced 35 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Dunlin, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Great Crested Grebe and 2 Sandwich Tern.

 

Ringlet - good numbers today cf none last weekend.

Clouded Border

Speckled Wood

 

Silver-washed Fritillary

 

Finally an early morning walk around the river Otter, chiefly to look for moths, produced a singing male Lesser Whitethroat just north of White's Bridge, some recently fledged Cetti's Warblers, a Kingfisher and a surprise Brown Hare.

 

Damselfly sp - Edit - Azure Damselfly (above and below) - many thanks to Simon Colenutt for the identifications.

Peacock Butterfly larvae

 

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Double Line

 

Double Line - Saint Hill nr Kentisbeare

 

Another new moth courtesy of Martin. Double Line is a scarce and localised species, predominantly in the south-west and south Wales, with a preference for woodland, so it's unlikely I'll see it here in Exmouth. It's another of my beloved 'mythimna' species, similar'ish to Clay but with the obvious two dark lines running across the wings. I'm really pleased to have seen it - yet again a big thank you to Martin.

 

 

Twin-barred Knot-horn - Homoeosoma sinuella - The Maer, Exmouth

Waved Carpet

 

Waved Carpet - this subtle little moth is a Nationally Scarce B species - a big thank you to Martin for popping in with it this evening. Needless to say it's a brand new species for me and, to be honest, one that wasn't really on my radar. Martin trapped it in his garden near Kentisbeare. Amazing what he gets out there in deepest darkest Devon!

 

Good numbers trapped again last night, in the garden, with 50+ macro species including nine which were new for the year - Shark, Scalloped Oak, Small Yellow Wave, Purple Bar, Ghost Moth, Sycamore, Sandy Carpet and Oak Nycteoline. Migrants were represented by just a couple Silver Y and a couple Rusty-dot Pearl.

 

Grey Arches

Hook-marked Straw Moth - Agapeta hamana

Bordered Sallow - a lovely moth and only my third trapped here.

Female Ghost Moth - don't see too many of these.

Bird-cherry Ermine

Single-dotted Wave

Small Yellow Wave

Shark

Olive Pearl - Udea olivalis

Green Arches (above) and Clay Triple-lines (below) - two beautiful moths that I just don't trap here. These two came courtesy of Martin.

 

Bordered Straw and Scarlet Tiger

 

A pristine Bordered Straw - an immigrant and a species that I don't often see. The only other immigrants in an otherwise crowded trap were singles of Silver Y and Rusty-dot Pearl.

 

In near perfect mothing conditions, once again it was no surprise to find the trap filled with moths. With insufficient time to count them all, I recorded the species only, with the following comprising 62 macros: Lackey, Peach Blossom, Buff Arches, Figure of Eighty, Common Emerald, Small Blood-vein, Small Dusty Wave, Single Dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, Yellow Shell, Barred Straw, Common Marbled Carpet, Barred Yellow, July Highflyer, Pretty Chalk Carpet, Haworth's Pug, Foxglove Pug, Common Pug, Grey Pug, V-Pug, Green Pug, Clouded Border, Sharp-angled Peacock, Brimstone Moth, Swallow-tailed Moth, Willow Beauty, Brussels Lace, Common Wave, Clouded Silver, Eyed Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Lobster Moth, Dingy Footman, Hoary Footman, Buff Ermine, Scarlet Tiger, Cinnabar, Heart and Club, The Flame, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, Small Square-spot, Square-spot Rustic, Bright-line Brown-eye, Smoky Wainscot, L-album Wainscot, Coronet, Small Angle Shades, Angle Shades, Dark Arches, Light Arches, Dusky Brocade, Minor Agg, Uncertain, Mottled Rustic, Bordered Straw, Silver Y, Beautiful Hook-tip, Snout, Fan-foot and Small Fan-foot.

Micros included Dichrorampha flavidorsana or f. alpinana, Gold Triangle, Garden Pebble, Small Magpie, Rusty-dot Pearl, Bee Moth, Thistle Ermine, Brindled Plume, Crescent Plume, Codling Moth, Elder Pearl and Garden Grass-veneer.

 

Pretty Chalk Carpet - my second ever. The first was in central France a fair few years ago.

Chafer sp?

Scarlet Tiger - the first one that I've ever photographed, despite having seen a few in the past. It's also the first one that I've ever trapped.

Lobster Moth

Beautiful Hook-tip

Dichrorampha flavidorsana or f. alpinana

Hoary Footman

Peach Blossom

Gold Triangle

Brindled Plume - Amblyptilia punctidactyla

Crescent Plume - Marasmarcha lunaedactyla

July Highflyer

Eyed Hawkmoth - 2 in the trap this morning, along with a few Elephant Hawkmoths.

Eudonia or Scoparia sp