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)

Pevensey Levels in Spring

     The weather during April was warm and sunny but the start of May was very changeable with blustery showers and occasional sunny spells. However, by the end of May we were experiencing a heat wave with temperatures touching 30 degrees centigrade and not a cloud to be seen anywhere.

Here are some images taken over the last two months on Pevensey Levels.

Large White (Pieris brassicae)

(freshly emerged male)

(mating pair)

Green-veined White (Pieris napi) (female)

Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) (5th instar larva on nettle)

This one was found in the open on the nettle plant and probably looking to construct a new larval tent.

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)

By the 17th. May, the spring brood was starting to emerge.

Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) (male)

On the last day of May I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year and there was a significant landfall of Painted Ladies from the near continent, with dozens nectaring on bramble blossom. 

Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) (male)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) (male)

(mating pair)

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) (male)

Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) (male)

Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) (male)

Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) (male)

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) (female)

Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) (juvenile/sub-adult)

To finish, I came across these predated Moorhen eggs scattered in the grass beside a reed ditch. The culprit is likely to be a crow. I placed them together for the photograph.