A new micro moth for my life list.

Friday 2nd September 2022.

This is the best I could do for this new tiny micro moth, Sycamore-seed Pigmy. Probably around 3 to 4 mm long and resting on the bottom of my moth box.

There must have been some overnight rain as the moth box and the patio were wet still and it most certainly brought in the moth numbers and variety to go along with it. Fortunately, the rain had gone although there is more on the way apparently. At least it does our garden plants good.

Above, Pearly Underwing (above) and a Cabbage Moth from one of the egg trays this morning. Below, Pale Tortrix.

A whopping 160 moths of 45 species were recorded this morning including a new moth for my life list. The extremely tiny micro moth Etainia decentella (Sycamore-seed Pigmy) was found at the bottom of the moth box along with a few Apple Leaf and Horse-chestnut Leaf Miners. Two other interesting micros were a Pale Tortrix and another very tiny moth, Cosmopterix pulchrimella.

Above, a Common Clothes Moth I found in the house early this morning. Below, another Blair's Mocha was by the moth box of which I nearly missed as I was packing away the egg trays. 

Among the many macros, I had a Blair’s Mocha, 6 White-point, 2 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Clancy’s Rustic, Dark Sword-grass and 2 Pearly Underwing. A whopping 33 Pale Mottled Willows were counted, although there could have been more! Some interesting insects were also present including the Caddis Fly, Limnephilus marmoratus, which is quite a large individual of this group. A huge Hornet-mimic Hoverfly was on top of the box and another unusual insect called a Dull Four-spined Legionnaire (Chorisops tibialis), which has a distinctive metallic green thorax. A Giant House Spider was under the white sheet and on the wall opposite a Fork-palped Harvestman (Dicranopalpus ramosus), which isn't a true spider and one of the Opiliones family. 

This has to be the best year ever for Clancy's Rustic for my garden.

The moths present this morning include the following:

• 1 Blair’s Mocha
• 5 Lime-speck Pug
• 8 Square-spot Rustic  
• 7 Willow Beauty
• 14 Vine’s Rustic
• 7 Garden Carpet
• 2 Silver Y
• 33 Pale Mottled Willow
• 1 Garden Tiger
• 6 White-point
• 7 L-album Wainscot
• 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character
• 3 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 4 Large Yellow Underwing
• 5 Angle Shades
• 2 Pearly Underwing
• 4 Marbled Beauty
• 4 Double-striped Pug
• 2 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
• 1 Cabbage Moth
• 3 Brimstone Moth
• 1 Riband Wave
• 1 Yellow-barred Brindle
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic
• 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart
• 1 Dark Sword-grass
• 2 White-shouldered House Moth
• 1 Tachystola acroxantha
• 2 Celypha striana
• 1 Gypsonoma dealbana
• 2 Box Tree Moth
• 4 Agriphila geniculea
• 1 Gold Triangle
• 1 Rush Veneer
• 1 Bryotropha affinis
• 3 Apple Leaf Miner
• 5 Horse-chestnut Leaf Miner
• 1 Mother of Pearl
• 1 Etainia decentella
• 1 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Clepsis consimilana
• 1 Common Plume
• 1 Common Clothes Moth
• 1 Pale Tortrix
• 1 Cosmopterix pulchrimella

Above, two Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings graced my moth box today. Below, the Hornet-mimic Hoverfly on top of my moth box. A beast of a Hoverfly.