The first week of the month was poor with little seen. I was them away on holiday, retuning mid-month to find conditions had improved. In fact the good weather continued right through until the month’s end, keeping me very busy with recording the good catches! What a difference to last year.
It has been notable that early summer species have been starting even earlier this year, but, before moving on to that it is worth noting that here spring stuff was still about mid month. I recorded Hebrew character, Clouded drab and Early grey then and Pine beauty has been seen right up until the last day of May.
Highlights here this month have included the following, in no particular order:
Pammene rhediella – netted in garden on 24th, new to site. Sadly quite worn so no photo.
Coleophora amethystinella – 2 on 23rd are the 2nd site records. Probably breeding locally.
Phyllonorycter scopariella – 23rd, 2nd site record.
Elachista atricomella – 27th
Glyphipterix fuscoviridella – at light, 23rd. Normally seen in the daytime.
Bucculatrix maritima – a wanderer from the saltmarsh on the 16th.
Agdistis bennetii – another saltmarsh wanderer on the 29th.
Incurvaria oehlmanniella – 27th + 28th.
Pammene albuginana – 28th.
Puss moth – 2 seen.
Matilella fusca – 16th.
Large nutmeg – 24th, quite rare here only a handful of records.
Buttoned snout – a worn one on the 28th.
Beautiful golden Y – Also 28th.
Toadflax brocade – 31st.
Some species are having a good season here: Seraphim, Alder moth, Poplar lutestring, Figure of Eighty, Light brocade, Heart and Dart, Common swift. Eyed hawk has unusually been the most common hawk, normally it is the Pine or the Poplar. All the other common hawks have now been recorded in the month too.
No rare migrants for me in my traps here, just the standard Silver Y and Plutella xylostella in low numbers.
I’ve also seen a lot of larvae of Mullein moth on my plants this year, as well as good numbers of Common quaker larvae dropping off Oak trees when fully grown. Not many Winter moth larvae however.
Finally, I found an Amphotis marginata beetle in the trap too, the 2nd time it has been found here. It is a rare species associated with ant nests.
Hopefully this good start to the main recording season will continue through the rest of summer, we can only hope!