25th June - The Yellow of the Moon

Clear warm and still night again, perfect for the moth trap?  Well if you go by the numbers, yes.  It was by far the most individuals I have caught, and it took a while to release them.  The majority were Dark Arches and Heart and Darts, species we have seen on quite a few occasions, but there were some new ones, and one or two that were just to beautiful to pass up.

The first one of those is the Buff Tip.  I find them amazing and when placed in a tree they just melt away on to the branch.

Next up was a new species, and equally as impressive.  As I picked it out of the trap the gold colour on the wings glistened like metal, which is probably why it has the name Burnished Brass.  The photographs I have in my field guide do not do the moth justice.

Another moth we have seen in the garden before is the Grey Dagger, this though is the first this year, you can see the "daggers" either side of the head.

The next I haven't caught before, but it is a common species around garden at this time of year.  The two white dots give it a rather uninspiring name of Dot Moth.

We have had the Spectacle before, named after the two round discs at the top of the head, but take a look at the patterns on the wings, exquisite.

I catch lots of small wave moths, but as I try to get them out they fly away.  This is a Riband Wave, and I took no chances at trying to move it.

Another new moth was the shark, I assume named after the area behind the head that sticks up like a shark fin, again though beautiful markings on the body, just like feathers.

Finally the last moth, and yet another new species, this is a female Ghost Swift.  While the females are this butter colour, the males have an upperside of white which contrast with the brown underside and this creates an eerie ghost-like effect when the moth flies.  The white flashes are thought to attract the females, and males "lek" to compete for the female, a sight that I would imagine is well worth seeing.

Again a good haul, top moth today though goes to the Burnished Brass, a real beauty.