No Sleep...

I was late to bed last night. And up at dawn. A day off, entirely devoted to learning mothy stuff...

I've taken to hanging an old towel on the cabin door, close to the moth trap, and lurking nearby, pot in hand. As moths come in, they frequently give you a chance to catch them before entering the trap (or flying off) and I have become slightly addicted to this game. Last night I caught this one when it landed briefly on my trousers...

A proper migrant of some quality, and one I have been really hoping for

A bit later, this one landed on the towel...

When I saw what I'd caught, I got a bit excited. I knew it was going to be on the page where Maiden's Blush and various Mochas lurk, and I was well aware that one or two are rare. Finally deciding on Blair's Mocha, I looked it up on the excellent Dorset Moths website...

'In Dorset, thirty-four moths have been seen on or close within ten miles of the coast.'

I thought, 'Really? 34 ever?!' Well, no, it turns out that things have changed since the Dorset Moths blurb was last updated in 2019, and the species apparently breeds here now. Still, that did not diminish the buzz at all. A quality moth.

Going through the catch this morning, I potted up all the micros too. Perhaps unwisely, but once I have decided to learn new stuff I usually adopt a pretty determined approach. For me, the hardest bit is overcoming my stubborn reluctance to take that first step. And a learning curve akin to the north face of the Eiger is always going to trigger my natural inertia! Anyway, I'm up and running now, so, game on...

While examining one of my potted micros I noticed a tiny speck flicking about within. It was another moth. I had to use a lens to check, but yes, a miniscule moth. And what is more, I have identified it. Admittedly I had help, but that's another story, for another post. Here it is, and at just 4.5mm in length, I give you: Lyonetia clerkella...

Widespread and common, and seriously below almost everyone's radar.