A cooler night so only 13 moths of 10 species this morning. Peppered Moth was new for the year plus a difficult Tortrix, Eana incanana, which would have been new for the garden. However, looking at some old photographs of similar species I appear to have seen one before. Garden list revised now 510.

 Peppered Moth

 Eana incanana

Very heavy rain last night meant a trap full of very soggy egg boxes this morning. Surprisingly 25 moths of 15 species still manged to swim into the trap. The Dun-bar was the only new one for the year.

The Dun-bar

 Diamond-back Moth

The Moth trap has been somewhat disappointing for the last few days with only Red-barred Tortrix being new for the year. Made a visit to Sissinghurst yesterday where we saw 13 species of Dragon/Damselfly. I was hoping to photograph Golden-ringed but we just had 2 brief sightings. There were also 4 White Admirals seen which were not particularly co-operative with photography either. I did see a new Hoverfly species.

 Beautiful Demoiselle

 Xylota sylvarum

  

Moth numbers have increased a bit in the last few days with Orange Moth, Cream-bordered Green Pea, and Least Carpet all new for the year. Unfortunately the first two escaped before I could photograph them.(Picture below form the archives-2009). I spent a couple of hours yesterday morning at Lorenden park at Painter's Forstall, where there were dozens of Marbled Whites.

Marbled White

 Orange Moth

Just 19 moths of 12 species on Saturday morning and nothing new for the year. I then made a morning visit to Hothfield Common where I failed to see a single Dragon or Damselfly. In the early afternoon I made another visit to East Blean Woods where there were about 10 Heath Fritaillaries in the car park area. I also photographed a fairly scarce moth: Clay Fan-foot, which was a new one for me.

Clay Fan-foot

Yesterday morning there were 14 species in the trap including Swallow-tailed Moth and Waved Black, which wee both nre for the year. This morning after a cooler night there only 9 species. Had a day at Dunge and Rye Harbour yesterday. Fairly quiet at Dunge but there was a mass emergence of Narrsow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth.

 Swallow-tailed Moth

 Waved Black

Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnets

A slightly wet night with a low of 12c produced 15 moths of 11 species this morning. However, a Barred Straw was new for the garden list and the 4th new macro of the year which, after 15 years, I'm quite pleased with.

Barred Straw

 Foxglove Pug

Just 16 moths of 2 species this morning with only Riband Wave new for the year. However, I spent a pleasant afternoon at Westbere Lakes where I saw about 8 Norfolk Hawkers, including a pair in tandem, plus 3 Scarce Chasers, 1 Black-tailed Skimmer, 2 or 3 Hairy Dragonflies and dozens of Banded Demoiselles.

Norfolk Hawkers

 Norfolk Hawker

 Scarce Chaser

Moth numbers have picked up a bit with 24 of 19 species yesterday and 35 of 22 species this morning. New for the year were: Meal Moth, Straw Dot, Cabbage, Single-dotted Wave, Celypha striana, Crambus perlela, White Plume, C. culmella, Small Magpie and for the 4th year running Metalampra italica.

Metalampra italica

 White Plume Moth

Only 4 moths yesterday. However, this morning, after an overcast dampish night, there were 17 moths of  14 species including The Fan-foot, which was new for the year. Also new for the year was my 3rd ever Ruddy Carpet and my 2nd ever Satin Wave.

Ruddy Carpet

 Satin Wave

 The Fan-foot

Despite the warm weather the moths have been disappointing the last 2 nights with just Double Square-spot new for the year. On Tuesday afternoon I made another visit to East Blean woods where I saw just 3 Heath Fritillaries, 2 Large Skippers and 2 or 3 Speckled Woods. No large Dragonflies or Hornets put in an appearance.

Heath Fritillary

 Large Skipper

Since my last post Scoparia ambigualis and Common Wave have been new for the year, and this morning, after a thundery downpour last night, there were 27 moths of 17 species, including 10 species of micro. New for the year were: Blastobasis adustella, Scoparia subfusca, Clepsis consimilana, Pseudargyrotoza conwagana, Gypsonoma sociana, and new for the garden: The Cork Moth-nemapogon cloacella. I've now passed 100 species for the year and total stands at 106.

 Cork Moth

 Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

 Gypsonoma sociana

One of my aims this summer was to see and if possible photograph a Norfolk Hawker in Kent. I missed the ones at Westbere last July when I was away on holiday.  However I read in Mark Heath’s blog today that one had been seen at the car park at East Blean Woods yesterday late afternoon. So about 3pm I headed off with no great expectations. Chris Tedder was there already but had not seen very much.  I had a quick look round, saw nothing, and returned to the car park where a couple of Hornets showed well but didn’t settle for a picture. A few minutes later a large Dragonfly arrived which turned out to be be the Norfolk Hawker. I was even more surprised when it settled right in front of me! A Hairy Dragonfly also showed up and obviously liked the same perch.

Norfolk Hawker

 Hairy Dragonfly

Two cold nights produced just 3 moths yesterday morning and 6 this morning. However, today, I am pleased to say both The Flame and Treble Brown-spot were new for year. There was also a tortrix in the trap which I managed to get 2 photos of before it legged it. It proved to be 1219 Lathronympha strigana which is new for the garden.

Last year a large plant started to grow in the corner of our garden which I realise now is the Common Mullein, which this year has several Mullein Moth caterpillars on it. This is a species I've never recorded in the trap so can I count this species on the list now?

Lathronympha strigana

 Mullein

Earlier in the week there were modest catches with Common Footman, Green Pug and Udea olivalis new for the year. This morning it had obviously been raining for a while but 22 moths of 20 species was probably the best of the year so far. New were: Lime-speck Pug, Foxglove Pug, Burnished Brass, Heart and Club, White Ermine, Green Carpet, Bright-line Brown-eye, and Diamond-back. 

Burnished Brass

White Ermine

Yesterday morning, following a chilly night of 6.5c, there were only 5 moths in the trap. However, Freyer's Pug was new for the year. This morning there were 15 moths of 10 species, including the year's first Large Yellow Underwing. I spent an enjoyable Saturday morning at the "Discover Moths " event at the Romney Marsh Visitor centre, where I saw my first ever Obscure Wainscot. We've reached the end of another month and the year total for the garden stands at 80 species, which is a great improvement on last year where the total at the end of May was only 26. 

 Obscure Wainscot