Another five moth species added to year list.

Sunday 19th June 2022.

If I am going to get something quite extraordinary when it comes to moths, then Andy's garden can sometimes provide it. This Beautiful Hook-tip moth was a superb surprise when I checked out his moths around 9am yesterday morning. I think I have only ever seen three of this species since I have been 'Moth-ing'.

Though it is going to be a day of household chores and I am even going into work late this afternoon for a few hours, I thought I would add some of the moths Andy had by his moth trap from yesterday morning and also a few others from my trip to Thursley Common. It does vary on how many moths Andy‘s moth box attracts for I do not get to house at first light where there would probably be an awful lot more, but most will have flown off by the time I got there. I just might try my moth box there one day.

Maiden's Blush. Only my 3rd of the year.

Though a rather common micro moth for this time of year, this was my first Acrobasis suavella of the year.

Not the sharpest photo, but this was my first Common Lutestring of the year.

The moths present by his moth trap yesterday morning included the following:

• 1 Beautiful Hook-tip (NFY)
• 3 Willow Beauty
• 1 Common Lutestring (NFY)
• 1 Common Wave (NFY)
• 1 Six-striped Rustic (NFY)
• 1 Uncertain (NFY)
• 1 Heart & Dart
• 1 Treble Brown Spot
• 1 Garden Carpet
• 1 Maiden's Blush
• 1 Brimstone Moth
• 1 Ephestia woodiella
• 1 Chrysoteuchia culmella
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Acrobasis suavella (NFY)

A Red-banded Sand Wasp I photographed yesterday at Thursley Common. This little critter apparently is of the Solitary Wasp family Specidae. They look for caterpillars in which to sting and paralyse and then take back to their burrow to lay a single egg on them for the young to hatch and devour the caterpillar. The females are known to steal the egg of the same species and lay one of their own in the same nest!