Chose to post now as we are due two nights of persistent rain which gives a break in the mothing. Very welcome rain though as it was beginning to look like a desert here. The month started with a week or so of very poor mothing weather owing to the cold winds, mainly from the north or east. Things warmed up towards the middle of the month with summer arriving during the day of 16th. I trapped on the night of the 16th but brought the traps in at around 1 am. Even then owing to such a warm calm night the catch was the best this year.
Visited The Patch on 14th where Epinotia immundana was the most abundant species and turned up my first Eyed Hawk-moth of the year there. Also there was Phyllonorycter viminiella, Seraphim and Small Phoenix and a very pale and well marked Cryptoblabes bistriga. Thought I had turned up a Nematopogon swammerdamella at home but the one at the patch was my usual N. schwarziellus as all at home have been when carefully examined. At home Pugs galore; Common, Double-striped, Brindled, Oak-tree, Ocheous, White-spotted, Mottled, Narrow-winged, Netted, V, Currant and Lime-speck. Knot Grass, Poplar Grey and Coronet and the first Wainscot of the year was a Mathews. A few Phyllonorycter species in addition to the viminiella at The Patch, I have taken blancardella, spinicolella, messaniella, harrisella and klemannella at home with one of the P. klemannella being almost black with silver markings. The 15th and 16th saw a good emergence of micros. A number of Nepticulids turned up with Stigmella floslactella, S. roborella and S. samiatella being identified from the moth and others requiring dissection. Three Bucculatrix, albedinella, ulmella and lots of nigricomella. And a number of attractive larger micros by way of Eupoecilia angustana, Notocelia trimaculana, Pammene regiana, P. fasciana and P. aurita. My most pleasing first for the year though was a freshly emerged Cydia inquinatana which appears to be resident in my Acers. So I am expecting a few more this year.