An aMAYzing night!

Wow, things really ramped up here in my garden on Thursday night, a warm day followed by a warm night and light winds, a recipe for success and for starters the micro moths dazzled, as I netted many species on the patio at dusk.

There were 3 new for garden micros, 2 were netted and 1 was from the trap in the morning.

The best, a completely new moth for me, the delicately marked Chrysoesthia sexguttella, which, until you get it under a hand lens, just looks grey.

I've found the mines before but never seen an adult, result!

 

Other interesting micros included an extremely brindled Brown House Moth, a rather nice variation, the rare pine feeder Pseudococcyx posticana, two species of Argyresthia and the teeny tiny Etainia louisella/sericopeza which made me grow more grey hairs trying to photograph.

Macros there was a good selection of late Spring species, the pick was probably the gigantic female Oak Hook-tip, which made a Cabbage Moth look small.

A lovely Buff-tip was enjoyed by my son, a great species to hold (and kiss) as he does.

 

53 species was the best night of the year and really boosted my yearly total.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2024 stands at 164 species

 

09/05/24 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Buff-tip 1 [NFY]
Cabbage Moth 1 [NFY]
Clouded Silver 1 [NFY]
Green Carpet 1 [NFY]
Oak Hook-tip 1 [NFY]
Orange Footman 1 [NFY]
Peppered Moth 1 [NFY]
Small Dusty Wave 1 [NFY]
Treble Lines 2 [NFY]
Buttoned Snout
Clouded Drab 1
Chinese Character 1
Common Pug 2
Common Swift 1
Coronet 1
Figure of Eighty 1
Flame Shoulder 1
Garden Carpet 2
Knot Grass 1
Oak-tree Pug 1
Pebble Prominent 1
Poplar Kitten 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Spectacle 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Turnip Moth 1
Waved Umber 3
Willow Beauty 1
Yellow-barred Brindle 1

Micro Moths 

Argyresthia cupressella 1 [NFY]
Argyresthia spinosella 1 [NFY]
Bucculatrix bechsteinella 1 [NFY]
Chrysoesthia sexguttella 1 [NEW] (netted)
Dichrorampha acuminatana 2 [NFY] (1 to light 1 netted)
Elachista argentella 1 [NFY]
Etainia louisella/sericopeza 1 [NFY]
Hedya pruniana 1 [NFY]
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1 [NFY]
Monopis obviella 2 [NFG] (netted)
Ocnerostoma sp 1 [NFY
Pseudococcyx posticana 1 [NFG]
Syndemis musculana 1 [NFY]
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Anthophila fabriciana 1 (netted)
Bryotropha basaltinella 10
Cameraria ohridella 1
Coleophora sp 1 [TBC]
Endrosis sarcitrella 1
Epiphyas postvittana 4
Evergestis forficalis 1
Parornix sp 1
Platyedra subcinerea 5
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 2

Argyresthia cupressella

Argyresthia spinosella

Bucculatrix bechsteinella

Buff-tip

Cabbage Moth and Oak Hook-tip

Chrysoesthia sexguttella

Coleophora sp

Dichrorampha acuminatana

Etainia louisella/sericopeza

Green Carpet

Hedya pruniana

Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Pseudococcyx posticana

Small Dusty Wave