Moths and bubbles

The weather forecast suggests heavy showers after today, so last night the trap went out in order that I could be looking at dry moths this morning and releasing them on a dry evening tonight. It was reasonably warm and my catch of 60 moths included one new for the garden, and plenty new for the year.

This post is later than usual because for the first time since lockdown we were able to get my mum over to form our bubble. She also got to have some cracking moths shoved under her nose; Elephant Hawk-moth, and Buff-tip. Lucky old mum!

So down to business. The moth which was a garden tick was a Flame. This was one I have been expecting to turn up one day. It folds itself away in the trap like a piece of stick which has been snapped off a branch, no doubt a completely deliberate ruse to fool the hungry Robins and young House Sparrows currently bossing the garden.

Flame

The egg-boxes also revealed another moth I have never trapped, but technically it wasn't new for the garden. Although I only acquired the trap in 2018, I had been trying to identify moths which enter the bathroom for years, and Fan-foot was on that list.

Fan-foot

Not the most spectacular moth, but a nice fresh individual. The same could not be said of some of the other species new for the year. A Treble Brown Spot looked on its last legs, but revived enough to fly off.

Treble Brown Spot

Rather more problematic were two pugs. The smaller one was the most worn, while the other was rather undistinguished even for a pug. @UKMothID was tweeted their pictures, and came back with an answer. They were a very faded Green Pug and a Grey Pug. The latter was new for the year, and only the second I have seen.

Grey Pug

I didn't have the heart to send him an image of an even worse looking moth, which may be a Scoparia ambigualis, but will have to remain unidentified.

Crambid sp

The final year-tick was in pristine condition, but I'll soon be sick of them. The first two Large Yellow Underwings of the season.

Large Yellow Underwing

There was also a tiny micro which was probably a Coleophora species, but there was no chance of an identification without the assistance of the County recorder and his microscope. (02/10/2020 update: it was confirmed a C laricella. So just a year tick.)

The full list was:

Coleophora laricella 1 
Brown House Moth 2
Ruddy Streak 2 (very worn)
Light Brown Apple Moth 1
Codling Moth 2
Cnephasia ag 1
Aleimma loeflingiana 1
Unidentified crambid 1
Crambus pascuella 2
Garden Grass-veneer 2
Water-veneer 3
Figure of Eighty 1
Elephant Hawk-moth 1
Treble Brown Spot 1 (nfy)
Common Marbled Carpet 1
Green Pug 1
Grey Pug 1 (nfy)
Buff-tip 1
Straw Dot 1
Fan-foot 1 (nfy)
Spectacle 1
Coronet 1
Uncertain 3
Marbled Minor ag 1
Heart and Dart 23
Flame 1 (nfg)
Large Yellow Underwing 2

The list has gradually grown through the evening as previously unsuspected micros have left the trap.