Another garden first

After receiving a very obnoxious comment (see my previous post) from someone I don't know, have never met, I thought it might be worth taking a day, or two, to think over the situation before getting another post together. I published the comment purely because he was willing to put his name to such drivel and therefore I respected his right to hold this opinion, as much as it differs from my own. The lack of manners is only matched by the paucity of intellectual and grammatical talent required to engage in communication at anything beyond nursery school? I can only think that it is my stance on lethal recording techniques which has caused such angst? Yet if that is the level that these folk operate at, it is only to be expected that using Victorian technology remains at the cutting edge of their IQ range?  That is all I have to say about this incident and it won't be mentioned again - full stop!

This recent spell of hot weather has certainly boosted the numbers of moths being attracted to the garden MV trap. Common Wainscot numbers are off the scale, in excess of one hundred individuals on two nights running. Fifteen Tree-lichen Beauties was a new garden record count and, this morning I discovered the first Elephant Hawk-moth for over ten days. A Dusky Thorn was new for the year but, it was two micros which really stood out for me. The first was a stunning well marked example of Vagrant Piercer which simply glowed in the early morning sunshine.

Vagrant Piercer (Cydia amplana)

The second individual was a completely new species for me and certainly led me a merry dance around the internet as I sought to get a correct id. First recorded in Dorset (2009), this species originates from Australia and, as an adventive, is obviously a result of  plant or foodstuff movement between the two continents. It was certainly a striking moth to behold and subsequent searching through the Kent Moths database reveals that Franny has already recorded this species at both of his constant effort sites on Thanet, as have Sandwich Bay Obs just across The Stour.

Marbled Fern (Musotima nitidalis)