Still cool

Another quiet night; Green Pug 1, Brown Silver-line 1, Heart and Dart 5, Ingrailed Clay 1, Middle-barred Minor 1.

Turnip Moth

Found this bedraggled Turnip Moth in the bottom of the trap.

Turnip Moth

Wind stops - rain starts - Epinotia bilunana

Looked like better conditions last night until the rain started, still added Geen Pug, Straw Dot and Epinotia bilunana. The rest of the catch;
Crambus lathionellus, Scoparia ambigualis, Agonopterix arenella, Bee Moth 2, Brimstone, Scorched Wing, Small Phoenix, Brown Silver-line, Flame Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, Spruce Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Clouded Silver, Elephant Hawk-moth 6, Pale Tussock, Buff Ermine, Lesser Swallow Prominent, Heart and Dart 5, Flame Shoulder.

Epinotia bilunana

Green Pug

Green Pug

Straw Dot

Straw Dot

Better night at home - Blood-vein

Despite the lack of moths at Manners Wood I did have a reasonable night at home adding Blood-vein and Pebble Hook-tip also Many Plumed Moth, Brimstone, Silver-ground Carpet 2, Small Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, Clouded Silver, Grey Pug, Brindled Pug, Elephant Hawk-moth 3, Flame Shoulder, Flame, Spectacle, Ingrailed Clay 5, Shears, Pale-shouldered Brocade, Beautiful Golden Y 2.

Blood-vein

Pebble Hook-tip

Pebble Hook-tip

Manners Wood - too much wind

Attempted to trap in Manners Wood last night but there was too much wind so abandoned at 11pm but did manage to add Common Swift;

Common Swift

Small Rivulet

Small Rivulet

Nothing new - nicely marked Shears

Very quiet the last couple of evenings;
26/05 Celypha lacunana, Grey Pug 2, Silver-ground Carpet, Clouded Silver, Heart and Dart.
27/05 Small Magpie, Common Pug, Brindled Pug, Flame Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Brimstone, Ingrailed Clay, Small Square-spot, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Peppered Moth, Spectacle, Heart and Dart 7.

The Shears

Small Angleshades

Taken on 25th May

Small Angleshades

Large Nutmeg

Simon Roddis caught this Large Nutmeg in Darley Dale last night. Appears to be trapped annually in small numbers in neighbouring Nottinghamshire but still a rarity in Derbyshire.

Large Nutmeg

Last night's catch

Still struggling with the cool temperature and wind but added Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis last night plus; Clouded Silver, Silver-ground Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet 2, Freyer's Pug, White-spotted Pug, Common Pug 2, Heart and Dart, Flame Shoulder, Small Angleshades and Spectacle.

Garden Pebble

Pyrausta aurata

Just found the Pyralid Pyrausta aurata on the conservatory window.

Pyrausta aurata

Buff-tip new for the year

Added Buff-tip and Middle-barred Minor last night plus Brown Silver-line, Common Pug 2, Mottled Pug, Green Carpet, Silver-ground Carpet, Poplar Hawk-moth 2, Buff Ermine 2, White Ermine, Heart and Dart 10, Green Silver-lines.

Buff-tip

Middle-barred Minor

Middle-barred Minor

Green Carpet

Not in fantastic condition but nice and bright.

Green Carpet

Garden first Dingy Skipper

Found this Dingy Skipper on the windowsill this afternoon, a garden first, the nearest colony is about a mile away so not totally unexpected.

Dingy Skipper

Platyptilia gonodactyla - Middleton Moor

Managed to grab this Platyptilia gonodactyla whilst watching the phalarope.

Platyptilia gonodactyla

Red-necked Phalarope Middleton Moor

A call this evening from Ken Smith brought news of a Red-necked Phalarope at Middleton Moor, I've already declared Longstone Edge as within my recording area so it seems sensible to include Middleton Moor, especially now with Red-necked Phalarope but adding Shellduck and Dunlin to the local list was an additional bonus.

Red-necked Phalarope and Curlew

Cool and windy but a surprise Small Dusty Wave

Not a common moth for me, only 2 or 3 records per year but this is the earliest Small Dusty Wave I have caught, otherwise single Brimstone, Pale-shouldered Brocade, Flame Shoulder, Ingrailed Clay and 3 Heart and Dart.

Small Dusty Wave

Another Grey Pug

Taken on the 22nd this is a rather brown individual.

Grey Pug

Esperia sulphurella

The constant wind has has reduced the catch to almost zero with just Beautiful Golden Y, Flame Shoulder and Mottled Pug in the trap last night but Esperia sulphurella appeared in the garden during the day.

Esperia sulphurella

Halldale Wood, Darley Dale - Blomer's Rivulet

Despite near gale force winds I decided to trap in Halldale Wood last night, the temperature was still around 16 Centigrade at 9pm and the wood is directly behind my house and is well sheltered - I was glad I did, catching a single Blomer's Rivulet which is the woods moth speciality, Dove Dale is the only other known Derbyshire site. The Elms also produced 3 Clouded Magpie and I also added Broken-barred Carpet 6, single Map-winged Swift and the pretty Tortrix Ancylis mitterbacheriana.
My policy on trapping scarce moth's is to return them to the trap site once I've photographed them, so everything trapped in Halldale last night will be released back there.

Blomer's Rivulet

Clouded Magpie

Clouded Magpie

Broken-barred Carpet

Broken-barred Carpet

Map-winged Swift

Map-winged Swift

Ancylis mitterbacheriana

Ancylis mitterbacheriana

Last night's catch - Vine's Rustic

Added 5 to the year list with a garden first Vine's Rustic, first recorded in south Derbyshire in 2004 it is clearly still moving north.The other year additions were; Rustic Shoulder-knot, a very tatty Green Carpet, Beautiful Golden Y, and the Bee Moth.
Rest of the catch, Pale Tussock, Common Marbled Carpet, Hear and Dart 6, Poplar Hawk-moth, Cinnabar, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Flame Shoulder 3, Ingrailed Clay, Spectacle 2, Scalloped Hazel, Bright-line Brown-eye, Dwarf Pug 2, Common Pug 1, and a very worn Clouded Drab.

Vine's Rustic

Beautiful Golden Y

Beautiful Golden Y

Rustic Shoulder-knot

Rustic Shoulder-knot

Bee Moth

Bee Moth

Heights of Abraham, Matlock Bath

Went to Heights of Abraham last night in what I thought were less than ideal conditions as the temperature was again dropping, ending up at 10 Centigrade but the moths performed beyond expectation and I added 9 species to the year list including the target for the night 3 Fletcher's Pug's. Other new species for the year were 2 Clay Triple-lines, Treble Lines, 10 + Small Rivulet, Sandy Carpet, Small Angleshades, Marbled Minor, Grey Pug, and Alder Moth.

Fletcher's Pug

Grey Pug

Grey Pug

Treble Lines

Treble Lines

Alder Moth

Alder Moth

Clay Triple-lines

Clay Triple-lines

Sandy Carpet

Sandy Carpet

Marbled Minor

Marbled Minor

Cydia ulicetana

This Cydia ulicetana taken last night, appears to be quite a variable moth feeding on gorse.

Cydia ulicetana

Steady arrival of new moths

Added Oak Nycteoline and Knot Grass last night plus a micro yet to id. Also Clouded Silver 4, Silver-ground Carpet 1, Grass Rivulet 1, Common Marbled Carpet 1, White-spotted Pug 4, Freyer's Pug 1 (photo below), Dwarf Pug 1, Common Pug 3, Foxglove Pug 2.

Knot Grass

Oak Nycteoline

It's getting late now for over wintered Oak Nycteoline hence this one looks a little worse for wear.

Oak Nycteoline

Freyer's Pug - better specimen

A fresher Freyer's Pug caught last night.

Freyer's Pug

Narrow-winged Pug

Took this Narrow-winged Pug this evening on Beeley Moor, rather worn I'm afraid.

Narrow-winged Pug

Peaches and Pugs

Surprisingly added Lime-speck Pug, Larch Pug and White-spotted Pug as well as Peach Blossom plus the micro Crambus Lathoniellus. Also Common Carpet, Scalloped Hazel, Small Phoenix, Mottled Pug, Common Pug 2, Ingrailed Clay and Heart and Dart 2.

Peach Blossom