The Brick - Sitches Plantation, Beeley Moor

Decent night last night thanks to the warm weather. At least 10 Brick and Feathered Thorn were new for the year, we had at least 50 Grey Pine Carpet, 6 Yellow-line Quaker, 2 Flounced Chestnut, 4 Frosted Orange, a nice example of acleris cristana and a Eudonia which I think is murana/truncicollella.

The Brick

Feathered Thorn - Sitches Plantation, Beeley Moor

Feathered Thorn

Grey Pine Carpet - Sitches Plantation, Beeley Moor

A couple of nice examples, one a melanic.

Grey Pine Carpet

Acleris cristana - Sitches Plantation, Beeley Moor

Nice example of cristana of the dark form profanana.

Acleris cristana f. profanana

Vine's Rustic

Not so many moths at home but did get another Vine's Rustic, Pale Mottled Willow, 2 Frosted Orange and both Red and Yellow-line Quakers - hoping for migrants!

Vine's Rustic

Epirrita spp - Clough Wood

Trapped in Clough Wood last night with the temperature at 16 Centigrade. Caught the first Epirrita of the year, either November, Pale November or Autumnal but couldn't say which.
also 3 Merveille du Jour, 2 Green-brindled Crescent, first Mottled Umber of the autumn, Dusky Thorn, a late Broad-bordered yellow Underwing, 4 Barred Sallow and Sallow and the micro Argyrethia bonnetella.

Epirrita spp

Argyresthia bonnetella - Clough Wood

Argyresthia bonnetella or possibly pruniella.

Argyresthia bonnetella

Green-brindled Crescent f. capucina

The temperature dropped to 6 Centigrade last night so not surprisingly it was a low catch just just 18 moths of 11 species including another Agonopterix arenella and the dark capucina form of the Green-brindled Crescent. Hoping for more from the warmer weather forecast.

Green-brindled Crescent f. capucina

Epinotia nisella f. decorana Stone Centre, Cromford

Shame this specimen of Epinotia nisella is a bit worn, this form with orange in the centre of the wing, would be quite striking when fresh - we caught two during the evening.

Epinotia nisella f. decorana

Merveille du Jour - Stone Centre, Cromford

A reasonable catch at Cromford which included the first Merveille du Jour of the year, plus 2 Yellow-line Quaker and 10 Barred Sallow, Dusky Thorn, Straw Dot and Orange Sallow. Plus a tortrix to id.

Merveille du Jour

Yellow-line Quaker

Twenty species of macro moth in the trap at home last night which included the first Yellow-line Quaker of the year also Pink-barred, Centre Barred and Barred Sallow, 2 Silver Y, 2 Spruce Carpet and Angle Shades.

Yellow-line Quaker

Last of the Wheatears?

We are getting towards the end of the autumn Wheatears now, there were three on the moor this morning. This juvenile was quite approachable.

Wheatear - juvenile

Acleris emargana

Generally a quieter night with heavy rain up to mid-night at least, Acleris emergana was new for the year and is a less than annual species for me so is probably scarce in the Peak District. Another Red-green Carpet, Grey Pine Carpet, Angle Shades and Dotted Clay with 11 Lunar Underwing.

Acleris emargana

Red-line Quaker

Better night at home 43 moths of 19 species which included Red-line Quaker and Blair's Shoulder-knot new for the year. Also Willow Beauty, Snout, Frosted Orange 2, Lunar Underwing 9, Spruce Carpet, Pale-mottled Willow, and Silver Y.
The moth list for the year now stands at 401 species with these latest additions.

Red-line Quaker

Blair's Shoulder-knot

Blair's shoulder-knot

Green-brindled Crescent - Clough Wood

Another rather disappointing evening in Clough Wood, conditions appeared quite good but the moths didn't think so. Green-brindled Crescent was new for the year, also Dusky and Canary-shouldered Thorn and a couple of Red-green Carpet plus the arenella.

Green-brindled Crescent

Agonopterix arenella - Clough Wood

Caught another nice example of Agonopterix arenella. Whilst this looks like a good match for arenella I'm not sure how it is separated from propinquella.

Agonopterix arenella

Epiphyas Postvittana, Light Brown Apple Moth

A milder night last night produced a few more moths although the only addition to the year was Epiphyas postvittana the Light Brown Apple Moth. Last year this was one of the commonest moths and I think I caught it in every month of the year and I can only assume that the hard weather at the start of the year killed it off.
Other moths of note; Barred Sallow, Pink-barred Sallow, Black Rustic 2, Silver Y, Flounced Chestnut, Rosy Rustic 3, and a second Lime-speck Pug for the year.

Epiphyas postvittanna

Flounced Chestnut

A better marked example taken at home last night.

Flounced Chestnut

Small Wainscott - Slagmill Plantation 15/09

A better example of the Small Wainscott.

Small Wainscott

Dark Sword-grass - Clough Wood

Very few moths flying last night just single Copper Underwing, Rosy Rustic, Large Yellow Underwing (2), Green Carpet (3), Autumnal Rustic and the micros's Ypsolopha parenthesella and Apotomis turbidana but just before we left a Dark Sword-grass flew in to the trap, hopefully the start of a few migrants moving.

Dark Sword-grass

Autumn Green Carpet - Slagmill Plantation, East Moor

With the wind having finally subsided I ventured out again with Brian Statham and caught a very nice Autumn Green Carpet, 3 Flounced Chestnut, and a very worn Dart/Rustic which I am fairly certain is Heath Rustic. We also caught 4 Grey Pine Carpet, Common and Dark Marbled Carpets, 2 Small Wainscott, Sallow and Pink-barred Sallow, Silver Y and Northern Spinach. 

Autumn Green Carpet

Flounced Chestnut - Slagmill Plantation, East Moor

Flounced Chestnut

Heath Rustic or White-line Dart? - Slagmill Plantation

Caught this worn Noctuid last night and initially though it might be White-line Dart but I think the elongated oval mark points to Heath Rustic.

Heath Rustic - worn

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A cautionary tale - Orange Sallow

Caught a Sallow type at the trap last night with a distinctive dark band on the outer edge of the wing which immediately made me think of Bordered Sallow which would be a great record for Darley Dale. The moth was worn which always makes me a bit cautious, then I noted that the hind wing appeared uniformly pale as it fluttered in the pot, clearly an Orange Sallow but I have never seen one with such an obvious dark outer band before. The dark band remains about the same width whereas on Bordered it is broader towards the abdomen when sat.

Orange Sallow with dark outer band

Another Barred Chestnut

Easily overlooked amongst the worn Square-spot Rustics.

Barred Chestnut

Barred Sallow

Cooler last night and very windy but added Lunar Underwing which is expected but also Barred Sallow which is much less frequent. I'd describe it as uncommon in the Peak District but it is known historically from nearby Clough Wood and Chatsworth. 

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Lunar Underwing

Lunar Underwing

Pine Carpet

Added Pine Carpet last night also a worn Flounced Rustic, Canary-shouldered Thorn, Silver Y, Angle Shades.

Pine Carpet

Canary-shouldered Thorn

This individual has very little dark speckling on the wings.

Canary-shouldered Thorn

Small Dusty Wave

The moth taken on the 9th September.

Small Dusty Wave

Reasonable catch but nothing new

It remained warm throughout the night and I should have taken the trap out somewhere, but didn't. However, the garden had its first Small Wainscott so I can add the photo to the library, also second Small Dust Wave of the year. Another Frosted Orange and Pink-barred Sallow, Rosy Rustic, Marbled Beauty and 62 Large Yellow Underwing most of which are now looking very worn.

Small Wainscott

Autumnal Rustic

Seems unbelievable but I caught my first Common Wainscott of the year last night, I never get large numbers, perhaps a dozen a year but usually well before September. It was a better night generally with 18 species which included a second Frosted Orange, another Black Rustic and the first Autumnal Rustic of the year.

Autumnal Rustic

Common Wainscott

Common Wainscott

Pink-barred Sallow

Just eight species of moth; Square-spot Rustic (2). Large Yellow Underwing (55), Lesser Yellow Underwing Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, (16), Setaceous Hebrew Character, Flame Shoulder,  Garden Carpet and a Pink-barred Sallow which was new for the year.

Pink-barred Sallow

Orange Sallow

Having just returned from a week in Spain I was hoping for some decent weather and a flurry of new species, I think it rained for most of the night but it did stay mild and I added Orange Sallow, Black Rustic and Brown-spot Pinion so can't complain. A Silver Y was only the second for the year, plus another Feathered Gothic and 30 Lesser Yellow Underwing which is the largest count this year.

Orange Sallow

Black Rustic

Black Rustic

Brown-spot Pinion

Brown-spot Pinion