Start of August update

July was not so good as last year, no doubt the result of the cooler wetter weather. Wychwood Moths recorded just 80 macro species in the whole month compared with 112 in July 2010. Fortunately there were a few good ones in there as previously shared. Here is a catchup on some images taken in the last week or so including a few from the first couple of days in August when thankfully the last three warm nights have increased the volumes and the species count has gone back above my "aim" of 30+ per night.

Currant Pug

Maple Pug - this tiny one just reached 8mm on the ruler for the forewing length

Small Rivulet - rather battered unfortunately

Large Twin-spot Carpet - again rather battered but was a NFG on 1st August

Nutmeg

Heart & Club gallery - lots of variation again. Biggest numbers between mid-June and mid-July with a one night maximum of 23, a little short of the 34 last year.

Grey Dagger agg.

Bright-line Brown-eye

Phoenix - three of these now this year, one of my favourites

Scalloped Oak - had more in 2011, one night max of 3, this one is "peppered"

Dunbar - top image is the darkest one I have had, the vast majority are of the pale form

Cloaked Minor - not had many of these this year

Start July - six new for garden in three days

Lots of excitement at Wychwood Avenue over the first few days of the month with a hot spell and six new macro moth species for the garden. Four are illustrated here and the other two (much scarcer) species to come in a later post as they are currently with the VC30 recorders for confirmation. Come back in a few days for the next installment to find out what they are !

Haworths Pug (on the scratched perspex cove of the trap) - NFG 4th July

Treble-bar - NFG 3rd July (have found on local hills in daytime earlier this year)

Common White Wave - NFG 4th July (though plenty around the local woodlands)

Dingy Shears - pair together NFG 3rd July

Scalloped Oak - NFY 3rd July, three were recorded in 2010

Short-cloaked Moth on the shed door - NFY 3rd July, just one record in 2010

Fern - second one this year, this is fresh and well marked in contrast to the previous one

Marbled Beauty - very common around these parts but not usually with this amount of orange colouration

Common Emerald - NFY 2nd July, four of these in the garden in 2010