More garden moths

Apologies to anyone who is sick of looking at my garden moth catches and would rather see stuff about birds. Its getting to the time of year when the variety of birds on offer is a bit limited, while insects, and particularly moths, go through the roof. I particularly like that each time I check my trap I am half expecting to see something I haven't seen before, and also that a great deal of head scratching tends to follow.

This morning was a classic, with moths I recognised, moths I thought I knew and then discovered were something else, and moths I hadn't a clue of and had to work out. I promise I will still go birding too.

I caught 35 moths of 18 species, and apart from the ones resting on the fence or house, or the ones which flew off, they are all resting back in the trap in the utility room waiting to be released at dusk. The local Robins are definitely on the prowl.

The moth which has caused me the most difficulty was a Rustic Shoulder-knot, or at least I think it is. (It was later confirmed to be correct) This is supposed to be a common moth, but I've never seen one.

Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens

The problem is that there are several similar looking Apamea species to eliminate. One, Large Nutmeg, varies in size and can be the same length. But I think I can see a hint of the black shoulder streaks peaking out from under the fluffy thorax. Unfortunately I had settled on Rustic Shoulder-knot fairly early on, and released it when it started to get agitated in the pot. If I'd held on to it a bit longer I could have brushed he thorax hairs aside to make sure.

Another moth which I nearly cocked up were a couple of geometers resting in the trap. I thought at first they were Common Marbled Carpets, but when I potted one it looked too small. Indeed it was, and it turned out to be a May Highflyer as did the other one.

May Highflyer

I recorded a May Highflyer in 2018, but not in 2019, so I guess I was a bit rusty.

Last evening several moths flew into the bathroom, including one that was new for the year, a Straw Dot. This one is easy to identify and regular in the garden and at Morton Bagot where we often disturb them from the grass.

Straw Dot

Getting my vote for the most attractive moth caught last night was an Ingrailed Clay, although Lyn wasn't very impressed when I shoved it under her nose.

Ingrailed Clay

The final year-tick was a micro, which turned out to be a Bee Moth. This particular individual was quite small, causing me to be unsure what it was until I potted it.

Bee Moth

The full list was:

Codling Moth 1
Light Brown Apple Moth 1
Bee Moth 1 (nfy)
Common Marbled Carpet 1
May Highflyer 2
Common Pug 1
worn Pug though to be Brindled Pug 1
Pale Tussock 5
Swallow Prominent 1
Straw Dot 1 (nfy)
Orange Footman 1
Vine's Rustic 1
Treble Lines 4
Rustic Shoulder-knot 1 (nfg)
Common Wainscot 1
Heart and Dart 10
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Ingrailed Clay 1 (nfy)

There was not much by-catch, just the usual black caddisflies, and a smart Mayfly.