A return to form

Like so many others, who have been moth trapping for longer than a couple of seasons, I have been lamenting the poor garden catches being made for the past two years. Being lucky enough to have experienced some of the most spectacular insect movements over the last 17 years, the lack of numbers and variety of species makes for sorry reading by comparison. Last night, as I walked home from work, the moon was just visible through a thin layer of high cloud and it felt rather muggy. Ideal conditions for running the Milton Mk VII 125w MV trap. It was on by 22.15hrs, the first moths appearing almost immediately! There were several Silver Y's feeding on the Red Valerian in our front garden, so hopes were high for  reasonable catch. I wasn't to be disappointed; examining the egg boxes, this morning, revealed a nice selection of species (42) and a total of 137 moths.


Eyed Hawkmoth - always welcome

Three species of hawkmoth are always appreciated, Elephant, Small Elephant and Eyed, Peppered Moth, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Heart & Dart, BLBE, etc, etc.. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but a heartening return to garden trapping as I remember it. Pugs are always a challenge, particularly when they are a little worn yet, with a little effort can generally be id'd without resorting to dissection.




Freyer's Pug




Lime-speck Pug



Green Pug

Plenty of other insects were attracted to the light, a couple of Ichneumon Wasp sp.,a Crane Fly sp and several examples of Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)


Light Emerald

Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) a smart little male