Heavy rain keeps moth numbers low.

Wednesday 7th September 2022.

Flounced Rustic.

Heavy overnight showers again soaked the back garden and now it seems, this week the moth numbers are starting to wane. No thunderstorms overnight, but the torrential rain that is falling does have its benefits by watering the extremely dry grass and plants and possibly, a few rare moths and birds might be grounded and be discovered? A Robin was ‘ticking’ and eventually seen near the bird feeders while I was checking the moth box early this morning, but at least it was dry.

Pearly Underwing.

There were 44 moths of 22 species recorded this morning which included another Clancy’s Rustic (best year ever in my garden for this species) and plenty of interesting moths to look at. A few migrants were present including a Pearly Underwing and 2 Rusty-dot Pearl, but yesterday’s Plumed Fan-foot sadly was a no show. 

Old Lady.

It looks like another showery day here on the south coast, despite the early morning sunshine and already, the Isle of Wight scored this morning with an incredible record of a Fea’s type Petrel flying west past Ventnor along with 5 Balearic Shearwaters! 

The extremely small micro moth Cosmopterix pulchrimella.

Moths present this morning included the following:

• 1 Bright-line Brown-eye
• 1 Clancy’s Rustic
• 1 Double-striped Pug
• 1 Willow Beauty
• 3 Pale Mottled Willow
• 2 Lime-speck Pug
• 6 Square-spot Rustic
• 1 Flounced Rustic
• 5 Large Yellow Underwing
• 1 Pearly Underwing
• 3 Lesser Yellow Underwing     
• 1 Setaceous Hebrew Character
• 1 Old Lady
• 1 Marbled Beauty
• 6 Common Plume
• 2 Beautiful Plume
• 1 Apple Leaf Miner
• 2 Epinotia immundana
• 1 Clepsis consimilana
• 2 Rusty-dot Pearl
• 1 Agriphila geniculea
• 1 Acleris laterana / comariana
• 1 Cosmopterix pulchrimella