Some Moths during July

 The weather throughout July has continued to be hot and dry and night-time temperatures have regularly been in the high teens (degrees centigrade). These conditions have brought a good variety of species to the light-trap including some more first records for my garden.

Privet Hawkmoth (Sphinx ligustri)

Pine Hawkmoth (Hyloicus pinastri)

Poplar Hawkmoth (Laothoe populi)

Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina)

Large Emerald (Geometra papilionaria)

Least Carpet (Idaea rusticata atrosignaria)

Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata)

Lunar Thorn (Selenia lunularia) 

This is a second brood individual.

Waved Umber (Menophra abruptaria)

This is a second brood individual which was 25% smaller than a typical first brood adult.

Common White Wave (Cabera pusaria)

Sallow Kitten (Furcula furcula)

Pale Prominent (Pterostoma palpina)

Lobster Moth (Stauropus fagi)

Oak Processionary (Thaumetopoea processionea)

This is an immigrant and episodic breeder in Sussex.

This is a first record for my garden.

Black Arches (Lymantria monacha)

Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria)

This handsome migrant is now well established as a breeding species in Sussex and beyond.

Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa fuliginosa)

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (Noctua fimbriata)

This male is of an unusual mahogany colour...usually olive green.

Least Yellow Underwing (Noctua interjecta caliginosa)

Dot Moth (Melanchra persicariae)

Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura)

Tree-lichen Beauty (Cryphia algae)

Suspected (Parastichtis suspecta)

Common Rustic (Mesapamea secalis) (or Mesapamea sp.)

Dusky Sallow (Eremobia ochroleuca)

Light Crimson Underwing (Catocala promissa)

This Red Data Book species is now an episodic breeder in Sussex due to immigration from the near continent.

Blackneck (Lygephila pastinum)

This is a first record for my garden.

Olive Crescent (Trisateles emortualis)

This Red Data Book species may now be breeding in Sussex due to migration from the near continent.

This is a first record for my garden.

Eudonia delunella

This is a first record in my garden for this nationally scarce moth.

Some Moths during May

 The start of May produced very changeable weather, with blustery showers and cool nights reducing moth-trapping opportunities. By the latter half of the month, we were basking in heatwave conditions, with temperatures nudging 30 degrees centigrade and this greatly increased the number of moths being attracted to my garden light-trap.

Oak Hook-tip (Watsonalla binaria)

(male)

(female)

Pebble Hook-tip (Drepana falcataria falcataria)

Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis)

Figure of Eighty (Tethea ocularis octogesimea)

Portland Ribbon Wave (Idaea degeneraria)

Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)

Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata)

Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta truncata)

Broken-barred Carpet (Electrophaes corylata)

Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria)

May Highflyer (Hydriomena impluviata)

Foxglove Pug (Eupithecia pulchellata pulchellata)

Freyer's Pug (Eupithecia intricata arceuthata)

Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata)

Scorched Carpet (Ligdia adustata)

Scorched Wing (Plagodis dolabraria)

Waved Umber (Menophra abruptaria)

Willow Beauty (Peribatodes rhomboidaria)

Great Oak Beauty (Hypomecis roboraria)

Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis)

Alder Kitten (Furcula bicuspis)

Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac)

Coxcomb Prominent (Ptilodon capucina)

Marbled Brown (Drymonia dodonaea)

Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala)

Great Prominent (Peridea anceps)

Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)

(male)

(female)

Red-necked Footman (Atolmis rubricollis)

Poplar Grey (Acronicta megacephala)

Miller (Acronicta leporina)

Dark Arches (Apamea monoglypha)

Treble Lines (Charanyca trigrammica)

Small Mottled Willow (Spodoptera exigua)

(migrant)

Bordered Straw (Heliothis peltigera)

(migrant and episodic breeder in Sussex)

Nematopogon schwarziellus (Longhorn sp.)

(This is a first record for my garden)