Monday 20 May 2013

A little more like it...

After a prolonged quiet period in Wolvercote - a few new species, but since 7th May we'd had no more than four moths in the trap on any given night - last weekend was rather livelier, though overall numbers remained low. Still, on 18th May we had our first Green Carpet and Clouded Border of the year and our first ever May Highflyer and Shuttle-shaped Dart - those all in the trap, while I failed to catch a passing Waved Umber (also a garden first) but did see it well enough to be confident of its ID.

May Highflyer, 18th May

Shuttle-shaped Dart, 18th May

Pale Prominents are having quite a purple patch at the moment, too, with a pair of them caught on 18th and 19th May. Overall 19th May was less productive - the sky was rather clear, with a fairly bright moon, overnight - but did bring our first ever Orange Footman, and (not forgetting the micros), a neat little Grapholita jungiella, as well as the first Common Wave and Pale Mottled Willow of the year.

(Rather overexposed)  Grapholita jungiella, 19th May

Orange Footman, 19th May

So overall not a bad couple of days: tonight is the warmest I can remember this year, and quite cloudy, so it may be that some more interesting specimens will be awaiting in the morning...

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