Two more moth 'lifers' & a big Spider!

Wednesday 3rd August 2022.

Another good moth for the year, the Mullein Wave.

A drizzly start to the day with overcast and mild conditions and although it did not look promising for moths, I did still manage to grab two more micro moth ‘lifers’ and my first of the year fresh looking Mullein Wave. I suppose I should not totally rely on the Obsidentify App, but it has proved successful so far and doesn't even commit itself on identifying the more difficult macro or micro moths that have to be dissected to get a true ID. Therefore, I am confident that the tricky micro’s it identifies are what it says it is as I double-check them on Hants Moths website etc.

Another new moth for the year, the odd-looking Chinese Character.

Though numbers were low this morning, there was a bit of quality and I was more than happy with my first Mullein Wave of the year, my first for several years in fact; though it didn't hang around long and flew up and landed on my neighbours wall. The Chinese Character moth was perched on the white sheet first thing in the morning and quickly flew off also. All the usual macro moths were present, but it was the micros that were in numbers and with this new App, anything could be possible among the tiny micros. Hence, finding both the Coleophora pennela and Tortricodes alternella this morning and there are a few that I have potted that also need identifying.    

Above, my first ever Coleophora pennela and below, Tortricodes alternella.

While checking the box, I looked up and there was this huge spider crawling slowly over the top of the sheet. It was a female Segestria florentina, one of the largest UK ‘tube-web’ Spiders in the UK. I have to say, it really was a big female and my photo really does not do it justice. I am surprised at how slow they are, reminiscent of a Tarantula walking along; but an impressive beast nonetheless. Apart from a Ladybird and a few Lacewing, not a great deal else was in the moth box. 

The Segestria florentina spider that was crawling on top of my sheet this morning. 

The following moths were present this morning:

• 1 Mullein Wave (NFY)
• 2 Willow Beauty
• 3 Garden Tiger
• 3 Pale Mottled Willow
• 7 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Straw Dot
• 1 Marbled Green
• 4 Brimstone Moth
• 2 Double-striped Pug
• 1 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 1 Garden Carpet
• 2 Turnip Moth
• 1 Common Rustic agg.
• 2 Lime-speck Pug 
• 1 Chinese Character (NFY)
• 4 Pyrausta aurata
• 1 Clepsis consimilana
• 4 Blastobasis adustella
• 1 Blastobasis vittata
• 1 Blastobasis rebeli
• 2 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Common Plume
• 1 Light Brown Apple Moth
• 1 Coleophora pennela (NFY + LIFER)
• 1 Tortricodes alternella (NFY + LIFER)