The weather is really hot now and the moth trap numbers are increasing daily. The Pyralid Acrobasis repandana was another new species for the garden list which now stands at 650. A Leopard
Moth was only my 2nd record and a Scorched Wing was only my 3rd. At Dungeness this week I managed to take a better photo of the Six-belted Clearwings.

 Acrobasis repandana

 Six-belted Clearwing

 Scorched Wing

 LeopardMoth

Since my last post I've recorded 2 new species for the garden list: White Satin Moth and Pine Hawk-moth, and have been shown another one: Six-belted Clearwing at Dungeness. I've also recorded my 3rd Blotched Emerald. I have also seen a Badger run across Boughton Hill at dusk one evening.

Pine Hawk-moth

White Satin Moth

Six-belted Clearwing

 Blotched Emerald

Since my last post things have started to pick up with the moth trap, with the most interesting species being Clouded-bordered Brindle which was new for garden list. At Dungeness last week, with the help of Owen Leyshon,  we made a successful search for the Rest Harrow Moth with probably about 8 seen near the Long Pits. This morning I made a visit to Deal Castle to photograph a Snow Bunting in summer plumage for the first time. What it's doing in Deal at this time of year is 

anyone's guess.

Snow Bunting

 Rest haarrow

Clouded-bordered Brindle

We've reached the end of another month and the garden moth list for the year stands at 125 which is much better than this stage last year when it was only 82. The prolonged fine weather has had an effect. Since my last post Ochreous Pug has been new for the garden and other good records include the Puss Moth, Elephant Hawk-moth, my 3rd ever Orange Footman and Evegestis limbata which has become regular in the last 3 years. Futher afield my first Norfolk Hawker of the year was at KWT East Blean Woods near Canterbury.

Norfolk Hawker

Ochreous Pug

Puss Moth

 Orange Footman

 Evergestis limbata

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