It seemed so perfect...

28th February was one of those days that just seemed like the right conditions to put out the trap. It was cloudy and humid all day, the temperature got up to 13C and stayed at around 11C all night, only very slight breeze fro mthe SW. So why didn't more come to my trap??
Three moths were caught, well two were caught and one was sat on the shed door waiting for me in the morning. All three were new for the year, which is good. This puts me on 4 x Macros and 4 x Micros.

The first to the trap was Endrosis sarcitrella. Common, yes. But it was my first for the year, so here it is.

Next to arrive (but I had to wait a further 3 hours!) was this nice Amblyptilia acanthadactyla. I got several of these last year but they're always interesting to see!

Finally, as I was packing the trap away in the shed, I spotted this Emmelina monodactyla sitting waiting for me to photograph it on the door.

Slowly, we are getting there!

Broken dreams...

Disaster struck early on Saturday. My clumsy dad knocked the actinic tube off the table and it smashed on the conservatory floor! Oopsy! Of course I didn't see him till Saturday teatime so I didn't have time to replace it.
With the actinic out of action, Sunday saw me bring out the BLB. But as conditions were not ideal I didn't hold out much hope. It was cooler than of late, with a morning temperature of just 10 degrees. The quantity certainly reflected the weather (and the alternative bulb?) but I did manage a bit of quality.

This neatly marked Agriphila latistria is the first for the garden and is the fourth Agriphila on my garden list this year! This Dotted Clay is a new for the year and only the second garden record. It's markings had me foxed for a while, but after reviewing several websites I'm confident this is correct.

This new for the year Small Rivulet is a bit of a late-comer compared to last year. I had caught five already by the same date in 2010! But as I'm discovering, some species have turned up early this year compared to last, whereas some haven't appeared on the list yet that seemed common enough last year. That's what is making this year's recording so interesting!

Other interesting moths to turn up were this Double-striped Pug, which despite its size is a very pretty little moth. This Light Brown Apple Moth was huge, much bigger than those I caught last year. Well in excess of 10mm! Finally, the trap was graced with the cracking Emmelina monodactyla - a great name for a great moth. Me and Jordan always refer to this one as a girl, and we always call her Emmelina! She's been a regular in the garden for both years. Just look at those amazing wings!

Catch report for 7th August 2011 - 26 moths of 17 species (5 micros ; 12 macros)
Agriphila latristria (New for Me)
Agriphila straminella x 5
Campion
Currant Pug
Dark Arches x 2
Dipleurina lacustrata
Dotted Clay (New for Year)
Double-striped Pug
Emmelina monodactyla
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Light Brown Apple Moth
Marbled Beauty
Pale Mottled Willow
Riband Wave
Uncertain
Small Rivulet (New for Year)
Willow Beauty x 5