October selection

All the usuals have now appeared, just waiting for the surprises. My birthday next week so who knows...

Buff Footman - two months late on 14th October !

Barred Sallow and Sallow

Pink-barred Sallow

Orange Sallow - just the one so far this year and past its prime

Beaded Chestnut

Deep-brown Dart - scarce one for me

Blair's Shoulder-knot - get lots of these though

 Large Ranunculus - also rather common with multiples on a good night

 Red-green Carpet - another regular visitor to the trap or the neighbouring shed door

 Red-line Quaker - commoner of the two autumn quakers

Vapourer male - third this year, all this month, the other two were caught in cobwebs not far from the scene in the next picture

Vapourer female and nest under the shed roof overhang

Orange Sallow

After a couple of weeks anticipating, I have trapped one of the scarcer local Xanthia sp giving me the first garden tick of the autumn season. I have been getting steady catches of the regular species but this is the first "notable" for a couple of weeks for me.

Orange Sallow - garden first 25th Sept

The Sallow - new for year 25th Sept, last year I caught only a couple of darker individuals in October

Large Ranunculus - getting a few of these, this one a smart pale variation

Black Rustic - another regular at Wychwood Moths from mid-Sept onwards

Spruce Carpet - like many species, scarcer in 2011 than 2010

Second week of October

A couple of new ones this week though numbers have been low in general. Black Rustic has been the most numerous, a Chestnut, a few Blair's Shoulder-knot and four species of carpet, Garden, Common Marbled, Spruce and Grey Pine, with a few lingering yellow underwings and Turnip.
Illustrated are the two new ones for the list and a lighter form which I had not encountered before.

Green-brindled Crescent (garden first on 12th)

Brown-spot Pinion (garden first on 8th Oct)

Large Ranunculus (paler form than those I trapped in September)

Large Ranunculus

One thing about the first year of looking at moths is that new species for the garden appear regularly as the seasons change and whether they are likely to be common or not is somewhat unknown for many of them. It is only when the season has changed and the number of records can be seen that a picture emerges. One new one that appeared on Monday night was Large Ranunculus, is this the first of many, first of a few, or the only one that might be trapped this season ? If there is only one in this season, will it appear next year or not ? Only time will tell and that just adds to the fascination.

Large Ranunculus (garden first trapped 20/9)

Rather a nice looking moth this one, presumably fresh