Monday morning brought 28 species with Dusky Sallow, Maple Pug and Large Tabby all new for the year. Heavy rain monday night meant no trapping and this morning the species number was down to 18 but Agriphila straminella proved to be new for the garden list. I think I may have overlooked this species in the past.......

Agriphila straminella

 Dusky Sallow

This morning there 60 moths of 30 species with more micros than macros. New for the year was my 2nd record of Tree-lichen Beauty which follows the first one last year. This one was a much better specimen but legged it after 2 photographs. Also new for the year were: Swallow Prominent, Phycita roborella, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Blastodacna hellerella, and new for the garden was Bucculatrix ulmella. Had a walk round Samphire Hoe today where a Rose Chafer was about the most interesting thing I saw.

Tree-lichen Beauty

 Bucculatrix ulmella

 Rose Chafer

After 2 days when Willow Ermine was the only new one for the year, Friday morning brought my 2nd ever Schoenobius gigantella and the first for 8 years. There were also 2 other micros which are both new for for the list: One is Coleophora albidella or anatipennella and the other is probably Dichrorampha simpliciana-my photo looks identical to one on the Suffolk Moth Group website.
Saturday morning brought 40 moths of 27 species including yet another new micro for the list: Agapeta zoegana. Had a day at Dunge on Friday but struggled to find much of interest.

 Schoenobius gigantella

Coleophora albidella/anatipennella

 Dichrorampha simpliciana

 Agapeta zoegana

Yesterday in the trap were 49 moths of 30 species and this morning 24 moths of 21 species. New for the year over these 2 days were: Slender Pug, White-spotted Pug, Spindle Ermine, Cloaked Minor, Copper Underwing, Pale Prominent, (my 3rd ever) Rosy Footman, Scarce Footman, Cochylis hybridella, and Tinea trinotella. New for the garden were 2 micros. One is either Coleophora lutipenella or flavipenella. The other is Eudemis profundana.

 Rosy Footman

 Eudemis profundana

 Coleophora lutipenella/flavipenella

Yesterday morning after a night of Thunderstorms, apart from soggy egg boxes, there 46 moths of 31 species including several tiny micros. New for the year were: Square-spot Rustic, Cydia splendana, Bohemannia quadrimaculella, and new for the garden: 273 Bucculatrix thoracella. This morning another muggy night with less rain produced 64 moths of 24 species. New for the year were: my 2nd ever Festoon, Nut-tree Tussock, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Haworth's Pug, and Carcina quercana.

  Bucculatrix thoracella

The Festoon

 

Nut-tree Tussock

 

I spent a very hot day yesterday with the aim of photographing Golden-ringed Dragonfly at Sissinghurst. About three were seen, with one along the shady (and polluted) steam behind the smaller lake, and the second at the small pool about 300 yards east of there. There were 2 Southern Hawkers at that pool but they did not pose. Fortunately the target species did, albeit a bit distantly.

 Golden-ringed Dragonfly

 Golden-ringed Dragonfly

Not a lot to report yesterday with only 21 moths and Endotricha flammeolis new for the year. This morning was better with 18 species including: Dingy Footman, Smoky Wainscot, Ruby Tiger, Eucosma cana and Chinese Character all new for the year.

Chinese Character

 Ruby Tiger

Only 12 moths yesterday morning with Small Fan-footed Wave new for the year. This morning was better with 30 moths of 22 species. New for the year were: The Engrailed, Anania coronata, and my second ever records of Small Yellow Wave and the tiny Apple Leaf-Miner.

Small Yellow Wave

 Apple Leaf-Miner

Yesterday morning a disappointing 11 moths in the trap, however Athrips mouffetella was new for the garden. This morning was better with 32 moths, most of which were micros. Waved Black was the 2nd of the year. New for the year were Dingy Footman, Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix, the Brambleshoot Moth, Gelechis senticetella, and Agonopterix alstromeriana. Best of all were another 2 new micros for the garden list: Bucculatrix nigricomella and Apotomis betuletana.

Waved Black

 Agonopterix betuletana

Athrips mouffetella

 Agonopterix alstromeriana

    

The Moth trap has been somewhat disappointing of late for the time of year. I can get 50 to 100 moths in July. Yesterday there were 12. This morning a slightly better total of 31 of 17 species with Lesser Broad-bordered Underwing and Ringed China-mark new for the year. Also in the trap this morning was Volucella zonaria, the Hornet-mimic Hoverfly (Photo form my archives)

 Ringed China-mark

 Volucella zonaria

On Friday afternoon I had a look for Dragonflies in the Chambers Wall area at Reculver, where there were a few Small Red-eyed Damselflies among the common ones. No "Emeralds" were seen. Saturday morning produced the best moth catch of the year so far with 47 moths of 25 species. New for the year were V-pug, Poplar Grey (or is it a Knot Grass?), Mother of Pearl, Buff Arches, Common Rustic, Wormwood Pug, Gold Triangle, Cochylis hybridella. This morning there were only 9 species after a wet night with P. binaevella new for the year.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

 Poplar Grey

Yesterday morning Batia lunaris and Holly Tortrix were new for the year. Then I spent the day at Dunge where it was very quiet birdwise with a solitary Hobby,  couple of singing Lesser Whitethroats and a few Sand Martins the main interest. At the ARC Pit we photographed a newly emerged Emperor Dragonfly and the macropterous form of a female Roesel's Bush-cricket. I also saw my first Ruddy Darters and Gatekeepers of the year. Brown Hawkers were also fairly common. This morning the trap produced 35 moths of 19 species with The Fern and Yellow Shell both new for the year.

Emperor Dragonfly

 Roesel's Bush-cricket

Ruddy Darter

The last day of June produced 16 moths of 9 species with nothing new for the year. A second brood Early Thorn and a Clouded Border were the most interesting. I can't believe we're already half-way through the year. So after 6 months I've recorded 137 species in the garden compared to only 95 at this stage last year. However this year's figure is still way behind my best year of 2011 when I recorded 161 species in the first 6 months.

Early Thorn

 Clouded Border