Heavy rain this morning.

Thursday 25th August 2022.

My second European Corn-borer of the year.

It wasn't till midday that I could really go out to check my moth box as rain had come in overnight and though superb for the garden plants, it was a frustrating time checking the box for any goodies. Some moths found solace in our back bedroom, where I found a Cabbage Moth, Silver Y, Vines Rustic and a micro moth of some sort (too high up on the ceiling to tell). Yes, all the moth trays got a bit of a soaking despite me putting the rain-guard on top of the box at 5.30am this morning! They are currently drying out in the bright sunshine.

Above, one of 8 Silver Y moths this morning and below, another immigrant moth, a Dark Sword-grass.

A total of 101 moths of 30 species was a lot more than I expected, especially with the downpour we had this morning and although nothing new for the year, a good spread of different moths. Migrant moths included a White-point, 8 Silver Y, Dark Sword-grass, Rush Veneer and Rusty-dot Pearl (all fairly common immigrant moths), but easily the most numerous this morning were the minute macro moth, the Apple Leaf Miners with at least 23 present. I think the best moth this morning goes to the European Corn-borer, which was my second of the year. 

My egg box trays drying out in the afternoon sunshine.

The following moths were present this morning:

• 2 Cabbage Moth
• 1 White-point
• 14 Vines Rustic
• 8 Silver Y
• 3 Willow Beauty
• 1 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Brimstone Moth
• 2 L-album Wainscot
• 3 Double-striped Pug
• 1 Lime-speck Pug
• 1 Garden Tiger
• 14 Pale Mottled Willow
• 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character
• 1 Dark Sword-grass  
• 1 European Corn-borer
• 2 Clepsis cominisana
• 2 Garden Pebble
• 1 Diamond-back Moth
• 1 Common Plume
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 2 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 2 Agriphila geniculea
• 2 Box Tree Moth
• 23 Apple Leaf Miner
• 4 Tachystola acroxantha
• 2 Rush Veneer
• 1 Celypha striana
• 1 Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner
• 1 Brown House Moth
• 1 Rusty-dot Pearl

Above and below, Birding pal, Jim Walker, had this superb Convulvulus Hawk-moth in his Portsmouth garden today. His wife had a fright when she found it perched on her washing! Photo by Jim Walker.