Amazing Moth Night

Last night, I switched the garden Skinner 125W on and set off for East Wood at TL463214. After carting the trap, net, sheet, pots, chair, bottle of beer and battery for half a mile, I set up next to a large clump of Bird's Foot trefoil in a small, sheltered pasture adjacent to the beech wood.
By 9.30pm the moths began flying with plenty of straw dot, Agapeta hamana and Tortrix viridana. When moths are in such number, I count the first 25 and then disregard those in flight, but do add any that are on the sheet or in the trap at the end of the evening.

Clouded silver

Ghost moths made an appearance as did several blood vein as I wandered through the pasture, netting as I went. Occasionally, I returned to the sheet, potted what was roosting and either put them aside to id at home or took them for a wander to release in a field far from the trap so as not to count them twice.
By midnight, I had a large collection of potted moths for home and a good list. I checked the trap, listing and potting and returned home at 1a.m to find the garden fence next to the trap and the perspex full of moths, which I then just potted to sort out in the morning. By 2.15 I had identified all but 12 of the East Wood moths and these were sorted in better natural light this morning.
In total: 231 moths of 51 species. Nothing new for parish records but a fair few to add to the year list.

13.06	6 Ghost moth	EW
	34 Straw dot	EW
	40 Agapeta hamana	EW
	7 Crambus lathoniellus	EW
	4 Common swift	EW
	Aphelia paleana	EW	78th micro
	6 Snout	EW
	Angle shades	EW
	5 Blood vein	EW
	30 Tortrix viridana	EW
	2 Middle barred minor	EW
	Riband wave	EW
	37 Chrysoteuchia culmella	EW
	Silver ground carpet	EW
	2 Clouded silver	EW
	2 Udea olivalis	EW
	Common wainscot	EW
	Marbled minor	EW
	Barred yellow	EW
	Drinker	EW	144th macro
	2 Mottled beauty	EW
	2 Celypha lacunana	EW
	Hofmannophilia pseudospretella	EW
	Setaceous Hebrew character	EW
	Pterophorus pentadactyla	EW
	Light emerald	EW
	Treble brown spot	EW
	Heart and dart	EW
	2 Brown silver line	EW
	Foxglove pug	EW
	Pseudargyrotza conwagana	EW	79th micro
	Pandemis corylana	EW	80th micro
	Acleris forsskaleana	EW	81st micro
	Archips podana	EW
	Aliemma loefligiana	EW	82nd micro
	Apotomis turbidana	EW	83rd micro
	Notocelia trimaculana	EW
	5 Archips xylosteana	EW
	Eucosma cana	EW	84th micro
	2 Hedya pruniana	EW
	Scoparia subfusca	EW
	Pandemis cerasana	EW
	Blastobasis lacticolella	EW
	Single dotted wave	EW	145th macro
	Wormwood pug	EW
	Brimstone	EW
	Aethes smeathmannianna	EW	85th micro
	2 Paraswammerdammia albicapitella	EW
	Epinotia nisella	EW	86th micro
	Ingrailed clay	EW
	Anthophila fabricana	EW

This morning, I emptied the Skinner and started identifying all, including those from last night. Incredibly, 2 new for parish records:

Pretty chalk carpet

Grapholita janthinana

Sadly, rather worn, but a Pretty Chalk Carpet. About as unexpected in my trap as the 2012 Jersey Tiger!!

Grapholita janthinana, another new for parish records

Grapholita janthinana

As well as these, 6 new for year records, as noted here:

In total, 86 moths of 51 species. So, 317 moths in total with plenty to add to the year lists that now stand at 2349 moths: 149 macros and 91 micros. This year continues to impress and tonight looks like another busy night. I, however, will just be running the garden trap as long walk planned for tomorrow to record all aspects of the local natural history by walking the entire parish boundary, some 18 miles, beginning near East Wood.

Clouded brindle

Nephopterix angustella

Blue bordered carpet

Phycitodes binaevella

Photos of some of the species to follow this evening.

	7 Heart and dart	G
	Agapeta hamana	G
	Beautiful golden Y	G
	2 Flame	G
	3 Marbled minor	G
	4 Buff ermine	G
	2 Dark arches	G
	Straw dot	G
	Nutmeg	G
	Small fan footed wave	G	146th macro
	Mottled beauty	G
	Silver ground carpet	G
	Clouded brindle	G
NFM	Pretty chalk carpet	G	147th macro
	Common wave	G
	Blue bordered carpet	G	148th macro
	Tawny marbled minor	G
	Scoparia subfusca	G
	2 Ingrailed clay	G
	Rufous marbled minor	G
	Flame shoulder	G
	5 Riband wave	G
	2 Common wainscot	G
	2 Chrysoteuchia culmella	G
	2 Treble brown spot	G
	2 Clouded border	G
	Privet hawkmoth	G	149th macro
	2 Common footman	G
	Large yellow underwing	G
	Fern	G
	2 Beautiful hooktip	G
	5 Celypha lacunana	G
	Brimstone	G
	Emmelina monodactyla	G
	2 Scorched wing	G
	Udea olivalis	G
	Anania hortulata	G
	2 Large nutmeg	G
	Double striped pug	G
	3 Archips podana	G
	2 Notocelia uddmanniana	G	88th micro
	Rhodophea formosa	G	89th micro
	Celypha rosaceana	G
	Hedya nubiferana	G
	Common pug	G
	Nephopterix angustella	G
NFM	Grapholita janthinana	G	90th micro
	Phycitodes binaevella	G	91st micro