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Has been a good week at Wychwood Moths with four new for the garden, one expected and the other three not really on the radar. Indulging in some images, I trust a least a couple are actually helpful in recognising difficult species.

Wormwood - new for garden 26th July. Nice to get after mates had been showing off theirs in the pub the week before !

Ear Moth agg. - new for garden 19th July 2014

Southern Wainscot - new for garden 26th July 2014. Initially recognised as different from the pinky-brown colouration and the suggestion of a curved line of dots across the forewing. I am now informed also that the dark and pale lines across the front of the thorax are also a distinctive feature, and this is illustrated in the picture below.

Southern Wainscot (left) and Smoky Wainscot (right) from the front

Southern Wainscot from below also looks much cleaner than Smoky,  just lightly dustedand has the pointed wing shape

Least Yellow Underwing - anticipated as a new for the garden for a long time, finally arrived on 25th July

Small Scallop - separated from Riband Wave by the wing shape, though this dark individual looks very like that species n colouration, second garden record

Tree Lichen Beauty - second record after first in July 2013

Hooray for a Hoary Footman - VC30 first

Very pleased to add my garden to the list of locations hosting a first for VC30 macro moth. A presumed Hoary Footman was trapped on 16th July and examined by the recorders and confirmed a couple of days later as a male of that species. While they had it in a pot, a second almost identical individual was caught on 17th. Having confirmed the identity of the first, I was not so worried about the potential second getting away so I could get some better photos and allow it back into the "wild". Three new for garden macros in a night with the Plain Pug and the Brown-tail.

 Hoary Footman - caught 16th July. Male confirmed from gendet 18th July - first for VC30

Similar moth from 17th July presumed also as Hoary Footman and I did get good views of the creamy white hindwings on this individual but compare the presumed worn Scarce Footman below

For comparison, from the last two weeks,a few more footmen... 

Presumed worn Scarce Footman, some yellowish stuff apparent and hindwing had some pale yellow (caught 18th July) - this has expired so I still have this one

 Fresh well-marked pair of Common and Scarce Footman

 Buff Footman

Dingy Footman

Mid July gets exciting

It has been a busy few days with some warm nights and some excellent garden mothing variety as hoped for at this time of year. Some even better to come in the next post I hope but wasting no time, on to the pictures of some new and some favourites

 Brown-tail - new for garden

Plain Pug - new for garden, and  a real monster with tail up and wings like paddles

 Phoenix - talking of tail up, usually get a couple of these each year

 Maple Prominent - the commonest Prom in my garden, this the fourth record

Pebble Prominent - third record

 Chinese Character - second record, first in 2010

Garden Dart - annual and not particularly distinct

Go Figure... into July

July is the month of the greatest diversity of macro moth species in my garden, though that figure may be partly affected by the number of weeks of August I have been away since I started the trap. A nice start to the month with the first warm night for a while, a Newbie and a trap full of monsters. Here's looking forward to a few more over the next couple of weeks...

 Figure of Eighty - new for garden 2nd July

 Deckboard of Hawkmoths - 2nd July - still not had Lime here

Shaded Pug - one of a handful in the last half of June

 Bordered Pug - another one that is easier to identify

 Shoulder-striped Wainscot - into double figures on these this year

 Nicely marked Short-cloaked Moth

Peppered Moth of form insularia (or close)

Some June variety

Though it seems so sometimes, the second half of the month has not been only about common and sometimes difficult brown noctuids. The number of the "gentler" moths has however been relatively disappointing in the last couple of weeks. Here are some pics tough of some that have caught my attention including a New for Garden species that was always on the possibles list.

 Scorched Wing - new for garden on 24th June 2014

 Puss Moth - great to get these impressive beasts - three garden records

 Buff-tip tip

 Shark - get a couple of these most years

 Burnished Brass

 Shears - been a good year for these in my garden

 Miller - always a favourite

Common Swift - scarce for me, just a few each year

Some mid-June comparisons

For much of mid-June, I have been getting and increasing number of the common brown noctuids and in comparison a lower number of the other families. With this comes the challenge of identifying some individuals that just do not fit the pattern of the book pictures, Included here are a few pairs and comparisons

 Two Broom moths, one showing all the features, the other just the creamy blob

Reddish Light Arches and Light Arches - both equally common in Luton on the chalk soils at this time of year

Presumed Dusky Brocade with some tawny colouration which had me thinking of Small Clouded Brindle

 Greyish looking presumed Large Nutmeg (based on shape), most of mine are fawn/beige

 A Dusky Brocade that (unusually) actually looks like one of the pics in the book

 Clouded Brindle (all the features and well marked)

Presumed Clouded Brindle. Had thoughts of Clouded-bordered Brindle which it closely resembles but I think the visibility of the fine black cross-line in the middle of the rear of the wing gives it away

And how about this Ingrailed Clay which  the same species as the individual in the previous post with the black triangle and square markings. It's the tiny arrowheads on the end of the wings that matters, none of the rest of the colouration is relevant !? Good job moths work on smells not sight in choosing a partner

A bigger wave

Looks like I am getting new moths for the gardens in pairs, firstly the two "pinions" and then to follow last weeks Small White Wave, a NFG Common Wave on 2nd June 2014. Not trapped this species before in the garden though had quite a few of the related Common White Wave. Also a selection of other more interesting pics from the last week including a potential further NFG in Small Clouded Brindle that needs more critical exam.

 Common Wave - NFG 2nd June - not a lot of markings to go on !

 Potential dark variant Small Clouded Brindle 2nd June 2014

 Ingrailed Clay

 Small Square-Spot - was a garden tick in 2013 so a rare catch for me

Comparison pair - Marbled Coronet (top) and Varied Coronet (bottom).
Former much rarer than latter and note the large pale markings near the wing tips