September Mothing 10/09/18 to 16/09/18

September continued well here with moths still turning up in fairly good numbers for my garden at least, the warm weather finally ended but we were still left with fairly settled weather and with a few periods of much needed rain.

Garden species count for 2018 now upto 503.

Below are the highlights and new for year species.

Catch Report - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

Frosted Orange - 21/08/18 - (Missed from previous posts) Nearly annual here, but just the one record per year, such a gorgeous moth.

Rosy Rustic - 25/08/18 - (Missed from previous posts) Another beauty that I somehow missed off my list, never that common here, 1 or 2 a year.

Acleris sparsana - 10/09/18 - An annual visitor to the traps, but like most species this time of year it never turns up in great numbers.

Pink-barred Sallow - 10/09/18 - A scarce Sallow species here with just 3 garden records, nice to see and one that i've trapped commonly amongst damp and marshy habitats.

Clancy's Rustic - 11/09/18 - A lovely surprise was waiting for me on the morning of the 12th of September, a new moth for me and new to the County of Hertfordshire to boot! There had been quite a few reports of them turning up along the south coast and it was great to 'get lucky' and easily my best Macro moth of the year. Another was caught (and duly dissected by Graeme Smith) by Ian Bennell a few days after. [NEW!]

Barred Sallow - 11/09/18 - A common moth in my garden, the pictured specimen was the most striking for the year. 

Black Rustic - 11/09/18 - Another regular moth here and for most people, some years I get 4 or 5 in one night, this year was no different.

Aproaerema anthyllidella - 12/09/18 - A new moth for my garden, a welcome Gelechiidae which I encounter fairly frequently out on field trips, in woodland and grassy verges typically. [NFG] 

Treble-bar - 15/09/18 - Two examples (both checked for Lesser, which has yet to be recorded here) were found on back to back nights. A sporadic visitor to the garden trap. 

Chestnut - 16/09/18 - An earlyish season first of Chestnut was found in the trap on this date. Subsequently it's had a good year here in the garden during Autumn. 

Eudonia angustea - 16/09/18 - Stupidly uncommon here despite finding it nearly every morning to works security light, this is only my 3rd record for the garden since 2012.

Treble-bar

Clancy's Rustic

Chestnut

Black Rustic

Barred Sallow

Aproaerema anthyllidella

Acleris sparsana

Frosted Orange

Pink-barred Sallow

Rosy Rustic

Eudonia angustea