After a cool, but cloudless and sunny day, there was a think layer of high cloud overnight, which covered a half moon. The temperature was 12.1°C at 22h45, falling to 7.5°C by 05h50
when I turned off the trap, although it felt cooler. There was a barely noticeable movement of air.
A
Blackcap sang, moving in an arc around me and finally showing itself in our tall birch tree, as I unloaded the trap in the half-light.
A good night, with eight species new for the trap. Oaks are the larval foodplant of the
Frosted Green and it is usually found in woodland, so is presumably not a common species around here.
Scorched Carpet larvae feed on Spindle
Euonymus europaeus, a plant that occurs at low frequency in hedges and which I have planted in the garden; the moth's UK range mirrors that of the foodplant, which is largely restricted to southern England. The
Streamer is a striking and distinctive carpet, while
Brindled Pug – another species whose larvae feed on Oak – is a bit more subtle and something of an identification challenge (expert Great Ellingham mothman Chris Knott confirmed this one). The smaller
Double-striped Pug is easier to identify and shows that pugs are worth a second look: this one really was rufous-banded (
rufifasciata). And at last: an
Oak Nycteoline. A single male
Brindled Beauty and a couple of male
Muslin Moths were the pick of the trap.
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| Frosted Green Polyploca ridens, showiing the merest hint of colour. |
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| Streamer Anticlea derivata |
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| Brindled Eupithecia abbreviata (l) & Double-striped Pugs Gymnoscelis rufifasciata |
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| This Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata lives up to its scientific name. |
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| Brindled Pug Eupithecia abbreviata |
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| Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata |
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| ♂ Brindled Beauty Lycia hirtaria |
 
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| ♂ Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica, from above and below |
Macro-moths (43 moths of 18 spp.); no micros:-
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