Two more new macros but few highlights

Not a lot to blog about recently at Wychwood Moths as the summer stutters along through the rain. Having reached 119 macro species by the end of June in 2011, the total of 75 in the first six months of 2012 was a very poor return with some species that occurred on numerous occasions previously completely absent for the year. 

July started well with a Small Fanfoot as first for garden and a few days later a Lychnis was also added. These are really gap fillers rather than quality but they all count...

 Shark - 1st July (two previous records 26/6/10 and 6/7/10, none in 2011)

 Shark

Lychnis - first for garden 4th July

Small Fanfoot - first for garden 1st July

Fern - 6th July - four previous garden records, this one nicely marked

Varied Coronet - 4th July - only one previous record on 4/6/10, on only my third garden trapping session

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

Third week of June

Been quiet for new species this week and vast majority of moths trapped have been brown noctuids, dominated by Heart & Dart, with a one night maximum of 68, and an increasing number of Heart & Club and Uncertain. Also been working through some photos of micros as I have been capturing images of distinctive individuals for a while but more of those another time.

Fern - a bit worn, NFY 21/6, had two of these last July

Shaded Pug - second for the year and better to look at than the previous one that I could not capture outside of the pot

Light Emerald - NFY 18/6, eleven of these last year mostly in July

Heart & Dart - this one should be "Heart & Cutlass"

Fanfoot - regular around these parts