They keep coming

The new moths keep coming at the Old Vic. The site moth list is now on 590 (the target for this year was to get to 500 so totally killed that) and the year list is now 461. A frustrating morning today as there was a fine Diamond-spot Marble, Loxostege sticticalis on the side of the actinic trap which flew off as soon I got near it with the camera. I chased it across the garden and even tried to beat it out of an Oak that I thought it flew into but it was all in vain. Presumably a bit of local mega and sadly no evidence so effectively one that got away. That's twice that's happened now, a few weeks ago with an Acleris literana. I think I need to go for the pot rather than the camera in future if I see something decent on the side of the trap. 

Also recently an L-album Wainscot (only the third for Bucks I believe) and few other new for years including this year's first wonderful Clifden Nonpariel.

The diversity and numbers of moths in these village and suburban gardens is pretty incredible. The most species of moth I had at Beddington was 327 species in a year (however this was from a third floor window but in many ways that could have been an advantage). Although I've had the moth trap out here occasionally since around 2017 and more regularly since 2020 (during Covid) it's only been 2021 and 2022 that I've really put in some reasonable effort here (but still only three or four nights a week). Jonathan Newman hit 1000 species (all time) in his Peterborough suburban garden this week and Dave from the Bucks CMR team is well over 1000 species for his garden. Dave is on over 700 species for the year and Ben Sale is on 650 species for the year. It's not just diversity of species but numbers involved too- I can get over 500 individual moths in one night here. That is a lot of moths for less than an acre sized garden.  

One I made earlier, Diamond-spot Marble from Bulgaria earlier in the year (July) This was the most numerous species in July there. 

Clifden Nonpariel

Cypress Pug- a new for year 

Mouse moth- a new for year 

L-album Wainscot- a new for site

....and another Vestal, always good to see. This is the 6th one this year.