Northern Spinach, Two-spotted Neb and Plum Fruit Moth

 

Northern Spinach - an upland species which explains why I've never come across it before. Martin caught this one out near Kentisbeare so I nipped up there this evening to see it, and very nice it was too! Thanks Martin.

 

Another decent night last night with the garden trap producing 54 macros - Buff Arches, Common Emerald, Small Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Barred Straw, July Highflyer, Slender Pug, Wormwood Pug, V-Pug, Double-striped Pug, Small Seraphim, Lilac Beauty, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Peppered Moth, Willow Beauty, Clouded Silver, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, White Satin, Rosy Footman, Common Footman, Buff Ermine, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Dark Sword Grass (x2), Shuttle-shaped Dart, The Flame, Flame Shoulder, Large Yellow Underwing, True Lover's Knot, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Double Square-spot, Square-spot Rustic, Grey Arches, Broom Moth, Bright-line Brown-eye, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, Common Wainscot, Shoulder-striped Wainscot, Coronet, Small Angle Shades, Dark Arches, Light Arches, Minor Agg, Common/Lesser Common Rustic, Small Dotted Buff, Uncertain, Silver Y, Fan-foot and Small Fan-foot.

Micros included Plum Fruit Moth, Two-spotted Neb, Long-horned Flat-body, Ruddy Streak, Garden Grass-veneer, Bee Moth and Elder Pearl.

 

 

Plum Fruit Moth - Grapholita funebrana - today's new micro

 and interesting to compare with G.janthinana which I catch now and again.

 

Small Dotted Buff (male I think) - pleased to catch this. It's been at least ten years since my last one.

White Satin

Lilac Beauty

Two-spotted Neb - Eulamprotes atrella  - a titchy species - estimated c5mm from palps to wing-tip! The larvae feed inside the stems and shoots of St John's Wort, according to ukmoths.

Common Wainscot - see plenty of these but always feel compelled to photograph them.

Slender Brindle - I was chuffed to see this at Martin's this afternoon - a gorgeous, pristine individual. My only previous sighting of this species was in Ashclyst Forest, over ten years ago. I managed just a terrible record shot of it, half in and out of shade. It's not particularly uncommon but it is tied to woodland habitats, with the larvae feeding on woodland grasses - an unlikely one to turn up in my garden trap.

Buff Footman - another one of Martin's moths.

 

Blue-bordered Carpet

Blue-bordered Carpet - a brand new moth for me and what a moth it is!

 

Forty-eight macro species trapped in the garden last night - Lackey, Peach Blossom, Buff Arches, Small Blood-vein, Small Fan-footed Wave, Dwarf Cream Wave, Single-dotted Wave, Riband Wave, Garden Carpet, Barred Straw, Blue-bordered Carpet, Slender Pug, Haworth's Pug, Lime-speck Pug, V-Pug, Double-striped Pug, Sharp-angled Peacock, Brimstone Moth, Early Thorn, Scalloped Oak, Willow Beauty, Common White Wave, Clouded Silver, Poplar Hawkmoth, Elephant Hawkmoth, Rosy Footman, Common Footman, Heart and Club, Heart and Dart, Dark Sword Grass, The Flame, Large Yellow Underwing, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Double Square-spot, Grey Arches, Bright-line Brown-eye, Clay, Smoky Wainscot, L-album Wainscot, Grey/Dark Dagger, Dun-bar, Dark Arches, Minor Agg, Uncertain, Silver Y, Spectacle, Snout, Fan-foot and Small fan-foot.

Micros included New Tawny Tubic, White Sallow Bell, Pearl Grass-veneer, Common Plume, Barred Marble, Ringed China-mark, Marbled Knot-horn, Long-horned Flat-body, Hook-marked Straw Moth, Ruddy Streak, Bee Moth and Elder Pearl.

A lightening-quick look off Maer Rocks this morning produced my first 2 Common Sandpipers of the year, along with c20+ Manx Shearwater in a very distant feeding flock. A lone 'commic' Tern was over towards Langstone and was probably Common Tern.

Yesterday morning there were at least 36 Sandwich Terns off there, along with an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Dark Sword-grass - this and 4 Silver Y the only immigrant species last night.

White Sallow Bell - Epinotia subocellana

Lackey

Grey or Dark Dagger

Haworth's Pug

Pearl Grass-veneer - Catoptria pinella

Marbled Knot-horn - Acrobasis marmorea

New Tawny Tubic - Batia lunaris

 

A family dog-walk, picnic and general mooching about around Bystock and Withycombe Raleigh Commons produced a few bits and pieces........

 

Large Red Damselfly?

Female Chaser sp?
 

Mating Damselflies

 

female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing

Grass Emerald

Gold-ribbon Argent - Argyresthia brokeela

Southern Hawker - thanks for the id's Spencer.

Four-spotted Chaser

Black-tailed Skimmer

 

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