Hotting up

The last few days have been hard work with the trap brimming full of over 200 macros of over 40 species, uncountable micros (though distinctive ones captured for later ID from photo) and the inevitable New For Garden moth or two that a top spell of mothing weather produces. Three from earlier this week illustrated along with a bonus "arty" shot

 Bordered Sallow - NFG 16th July, only 20 or so records in VC30 and first since 2010?

 Gothic - NFG 15th July

Blackneck - NFG 15th July, second different individual 16th July

White Satin - second for garden , 15th July

Broom - not the Gravel Pit

Some moths are on the radar as gaps in the garden list, specifically those that your pals are getting locally right now or at least appear on their lists regularly. There are others that are somewhat forgotten, so when this one appeared in my trap I initially had no idea at all what it was. Obviously not common around these parts.

Broom Moth - NFG 5th July, nice gold and reddish tones along with the distinctive cream line.

A couple of other of the highlights from the same night:

 Blue-bordered Carpet, did not appear here in 2012, I do like this small species

Green Silver-lines, common enough here but I do like a bit of colour !

Freyer's Pug, average two of these each year

Buff Arches, again regular here but always fascinated with the "waxy" finish and intricate markings

Herd

Always nice to get multiple hawks... June 29th obliged

Prominent promenade

I posted last August, towards the end of my third summer of garden mothing, about the "prominent" gap in my garden list, having recorded only three Maples and one Coxcomb of all the species carrying that name. The next week a Pale popped up and the gap was slightly smaller.
So all was quiet and the gap was forgotten going into 2013 with low expectations of much more.
Suddenly things look different and is it purely a statistical coincidence ?

 Iron Prominent - new for garden 19th June 2013

Pebble Prominent - new for garden 20th June 2013

So two new proms on consecutive nights, and three NFG on three consecutive nights overall, a good week.

Beautiful...

Not really on my radar as a possible garden addition as they do not seem to be reported around these parts and not sitting on many lists either so this was a very nice surprise this morning and was also my first NFG this year

Beautiful Golden Y - new for garden 16th June 

Mid June goodies

Just about getting going now at Wychwood Moths with numbers still low but the first signs of some proper diversity in the catch. Some images capture of some of those species not so well recorded in all traps around the county.

Small Elephant Hawkmoth - second for garden 16th June, in immaculate condition;
previous was a battered individual found dead in trap 26th June 2011

Toadflax Brocade - second for garden 16th June; 

previous record was coincidentally on 16th June 2010 and was the second record for VC30

Broken-barred Carpet - sixth garden record on 11th June and a species notably absent from the list of some of the well known local trappers

End of May - still waiting for lift-off

Still on the launch pad in Luton but various of the usual pugs are putting in an appearance and they're fresh enough to be able to work out what most of them are. Only just starting to get the increased diversity of species that I usually get from end of April. Not sure our local bat isn't helping himself to a few either...

 Mottled Pug

 White-spotted Pug

 Common Pug

 Scorched Carpet

 Treble Lines

 Nut-tree Tussock

Reed Twin-spot Carpet