My first ever Large Thorn arrives by the moth box.

Saturday 27th August 2022.

Head on view of my first ever Large Thorn this morning. A cracker of a moth. 

Yet another very good showing of moths early this morning and with a macro ‘lifer’ thrown in the mix too with a discovery of a Large Thorn moth perched on the white sheet behind the moth box. I honestly thought I had seen one of these before, but when I checked my life list, there was a big blank where there should have been a Yes! It was quite an impressive moth and I managed to grab some really good photos of the moth.

Above, another view of the Large Thorn. Below, my first Toadflax Pug for many a year in my garden.

 

Another moth new for the year was my first Toadflax Pug of the year and found quite unexpectedly. It wasn't till I was checking out my photos on my mobile that I discovered what I thought was a Lime-speck Pug was in fact a Toadflax Pug, so I am more than happy with this rarely seen species in my garden. My third Blair’s Mocha of the year was resting on the moth box and yet another Bordered Straw was present again (a very good year for this species here in my garden). Other migrant moths this morning included a Pearly Underwing, Dark Sword-grass, Silver Y, Rush Veneer and Rusty-dot Pearl.

 

My third Blair's Mocha of the year.

Today, it was Square-spot Rustics that were the most numerous moths with at least 16 in and around the moth box followed by 11 each of Lime-speck Pug and Vine’s Rustic. A total of 118 moths of 41 species were present this morning. 

Moths present this morning included the following:

• 1 Large Thorn (NFY + LIFER)
• 5 Willow Beauty
• 1 Blair’s Mocha
• 11 Lime-speck Pug
• 1 Bordered Straw
• 3 Brimstone Moth
• 16 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Small Dusty Wave
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Pearly Underwing
• 8 Pale Mottled Willow
• 1 Buff Ermine
• 1 Dark Sword-grass
• 2 Marbled Beauty
• 11 Vine’s Rustic
• 2 Double-striped Pug
• 2 L-album Wainscot
• 4 Silver Y
• 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character
• 3 Garden Tiger
• 2 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 1 Cabbage Moth
• 1 Toadflax Pug (NFY)
• 1 Garden Carpet
• 1 Tineola bisselliella
• 10 Common Plume
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 2 Rush Veneer
• 4 Box Tree Moth
• 1 Ephestia woodiella
• 2 Agriphila geniculea
• 3 Garden Pebble
• 1 Tachystola acroxantha
• 3 Celypha striana
• 5 Apple Leaf Miner
• 1 Gypsonoma dealbana
• 1 Bryotropha affinis
• 1 Brown House Moth
• 1 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 1 Clepsis consimilana  
• 1 Pyrausta aurata