BACKGARDEN MOTHING

A good variety of moths were recorded in the back garden in Firs Chase during a warm spell over three nights between the 24th and 26th June. The Robinson moth trap with a 125w bulb was switched on at 10pm and kept operating until 4am, just before day-break and before the birds were up. Numbers of moths averaged about 50 species of macro moths involving up to 250 individuals on some nights, while over twenty micro moths were recorded too.
The magpie moth pictured was one of the strikingly marked moths found.

The haul of hawkmoths was impressive with ten privet hawkmoths on the 24th being a memorable sight, along with six elephant hawkmoths, small elephant hawkmoth and a pine hawkmoth. The eyed hawkmoth and poplar hawkmoths were added on the following nights.

The scarcest moth was this Clancy's rustic seen on 25th and 26th, a species first seen last year a few times in the garden.

The coastal sand dart is a speciality of the north-east coast of the county. This is the second individual of the season here.

A few swallow-tailed moths graced the trap over the three nights.

A couple of the strange looking buff-tip moths looking like a bit of twig, were seen on one of the nights.

The dainty bordered white never seems a common moth and not recorded every year..

A single marbled brown was the first one of the season.

Two or three common emerald moths were recorded over the three nights.

This small V-pug still had a good tinge of green markings on it.

The once scarce cypress carpet has become a regular in recent years.

The rapidly spreading box moth appeared over the three nights in small numbers including this dark form.

This micro-moth Dasycera oliviella was one of the more striking of the micros, a species on the increase in the county.