May The Fourth Be With You

Sorry about the heading, it had to be done!!

The 4th May and the moth trap looked a lot better this morning, well certainly from yesterdays returns.

Today is also the 50th anniversary of when I started my career in the RAF, where I managed to get 33 years service in. It only seems like yesterday when I stepped off the bus at RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire and then an hour later had all my hair lopped off. It's never grown back since.

Anyway less of yesteryear and more focus on todays "catch", which consisted of 42 moths of 17 species, including 2 new moths for my Port & Wey moth list and a further 3 firsts for the year. One of the latter I still need to ID.

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

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:
#1    **Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana x2

#2       Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella x5

#3       Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x7

#4       Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x3

#5       Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata x3

#6       Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x3

#7       Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria x1

#8       Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x4

#9       Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi x1

#10    *Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea x1

#11      Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha x3

#12      Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica x3

#13    *Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata x1

#14      Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata x1

#15      Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia x2

#16  **Cock's-foot Miner Elachista atricomella x1

#17      *Unidentified moth x1

#1 According to both Obsidentify and Google Lens this moth.........

...............is 100% a **Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana. Another new moth for my Port& Wey moth list.

#2 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella

#3 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#3 Another Light Brown Apple Moth

#3 And another Light Brown Apple Moth

#4 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#4 Another Common Swift

#5 Double-striped Pug Gymnoscelis rufifasciata

#5 Another Double-striped Pug

#6 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#6 Another Shuttle-shaped Dart

#6 And another Shuttle-shaped Dart

#7 Waved Umber Menophra abruptaria

#8 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#9 Common Quaker Orthosia cerasi

#10 *Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea

#11 Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha. As mentioned before, this moth is also known as the Australian Orange-tip.

#12 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica

#12 Another Muslin Moth

#12 Muslin Moth

#13 *Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata

#14 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata

#15 Yellow Belle Aspitates ochrearia

#16  **Cock's-foot Miner Elachista atricomella

#17 *Unidentified moth

More on:

#1   Birch Tortrix Epinotia immundana here and here
#16 Cock's-foot Miner Elachista atricomella here and here