Warmer nights have produced much bigger nembers in the trap and the year list is now 102. Best reocrds last week were Poplar Kitten a garden first, and what I'm told that this is probably a Cryptic Fern but the specimen was not retained. This new species for Britain has been discovered this year and several have been recently recorded in Kent and Sussex apparently. I usually get 1 record of the very similar Fern each year in around July/August. An Eyed Ladybird was also in the trap last week and 3 Red Kites passed the garden on Friday.

 Red Kite

Poplar Kitten

 Fern/Cryptic Fern

 Eyed Ladybird

The moth trap has got going now the nights have warmed up and the year list now stands at 85. The best records are of 2 new macro moth species in the garden: The Seraphim and Toadflax Brocade. Stag Beetles have appeared too with 2 males in the trap yesterday morning.

Toadflax Brocade

 The Seraphim

 Stag Beetles

Again cold nights have kept numbers low but since my last post there have been a few new species for the year in the moth trap, including: The Buff-tip, Treble Lines, Cinnabar, Turnip Moth, Red-green Carpet, Heart and Dart and Platyedra subcinerea. A Red Kite flew past the garden on Saturday, and at Seasalter yesterday were 3 Wheatears.

 Wheatear (Greenland Wheatear?)

 Platyedra subcinerea

 Cinnabar Moth

 Buff-tip

We've reached the end of another month, and I see that I'm actually doing better than last year when by the end of April I had recorded 25 species, whereas this year the figure is 39. The best news since my last post was the Pine Cone Tortrix which was on the outside of the trap this week. This was a first for the garden. First recorded in the UK on 1st May 2011 by Francis Solly in Clowes Wood, Kent. (5 Miles from here). There was a 2nd Coxcomb Prominent this week and new for the year: Rustic Shoulder-knot and Shuttle-shaped Dart. Garden list now 642. I also found a Dock Bug in the garden.

Pine Cone Tortrix

Rustic Shoulder-knot

Dock Bug