A Moth Bonanza

After keeping the lights switched off on the moth trap for the past few nights, which was due to the cool, wet and windy conditions, last night I switched them back on as the weather had improved immensely. The wind last night was a light southerly, it was dry and the temperature was up a few degrees.

And didn't the moths know it. Granted a moth bonanza is normally found in July and August when its possible to trap 70+ species, but when the moth numbers have been so low for the past 5 weeks or so, it was good to see 49 moths of 18 species in the trap this morning. For me that was a bonanza!!!

Best of the bunch were one definite and possibly two new moths for my Port & Wey moth list. One of them I'm finding difficult to ID. However I know the other one which was a Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina. In addition to the new moth/s, I also had 4 first for the year moths, which now brings my garden total to 58.


Key
  *First for year
**New for P&W moth list

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1         Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x8

#2        *Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea x1

#3         Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x1

#4         Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x3

#5         Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x1

#6         Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x6

#7         Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea x3

#8         Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x2

#9         Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x6

#10       Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x4

#11       Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x4

#12      Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x3

#13     *Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis x1

#14     *Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha x1

#15   ** Possibly a Brown-veined Wainscot Archanara dissoluta or Twin-spotted Wainscot Lenisa geminipuncta. Or neither!! x1

#16   **Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina x1

#17    *Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata x1

#18      Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha x2

#1 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 Another Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And another Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And one more Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And last one of a Light Brown Apple Moth, though there were 3 more!!

#2 *Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea

#3 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria. Well half of one!!

#4 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#4 Another Rusty Dot Pearl

#5 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#6 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#6 Another Vine's Rustic

#7 Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea

#7 Another Mallow Seed Moth

#8 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#8 Another Brimstone Moth.

#9 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#9 Another Common Swift

#9 And another Common Swift

#9 And two more Common Swifts

#10 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

#10 Another Treble Lines

#11 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#11 Another Heart & Dart

#11 And another Heart & Dart

#12 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#12 Another Shuttle-shaped Dart

#13 *Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis

#13 Garden Pebble

#14 *Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha

#15   ** Possibly a Brown-veined Wainscot Archanara dissoluta...........................

.......................... or Twin-spotted Wainscot Lenisa geminipuncta..................

.........................Or neither!!

#16 **Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina

#16 **Pale Prominent 

#17 *Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata

#18 Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Also in the trap was a beetle, cranefly and a snail.

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis. My first one in the moth trap.

A Common Cranefly Tipula oleracea

And also my first ever Garden Snail Cornu aspersa in the trap as well!!