Big Bertha

Red Underwing

This gigantic moth - a Red Underwing - was snoozing on the wall next to the trap when I turned up at just after 5.30 this morning.

Though it was really warm overnight, I didn't catch big numbers - c110 moths of 25 species. But there were some interesting ones nonetheless.

It's been 8 days since I last put the trap out, and it feels like things have changed in that time... There were no Orange Swifts back then, and Setaceous Hebrew Characters seem to be on the rise.

Poplar Hawkmoth

Square-spotted Clay - the second for the garden and quite fresh-looking 

Orange Swift

Small Blood-vein - garden tick

Hornet - one of four around the trap

Boring moth list follows...

A moth with a plan

Square-spotted Clay

Not many moths at all today, but one was pretty good. It goes by the unassuming name of Square-spotted Clay, and it's brown and not at all spectacular. But it's a moth with a plan, its own Biodiversity Action Plan. It eve has its own Butterfly Conservation PDF and there's lots of info about it on ARKive.

I'm quite pleased with that. Thanks to everyone who I annoyed with questions about its identity.

The moth list...