Tyro's Gaffe

On Twitter I follow a number of folk who post mothy stuff. Mostly that'll be pics of selected trap highlights, but occasionally something more educational. Like this, for example, posted a couple of days ago...

I hadn't heard of Slender Brindle, and had to look it up in the field guide. Yes, I thought, I could well imagine myself overlooking one as a pale Common Rustic agg. Living Record revealed that there have been several Bridport records, so it's certainly a moth I should be looking out for. I resolved to check very carefully all future Common Rustic agg. types for that 'obvious brown patch at the base of the thorax'.

The very next morning I counted 14 Common Rustic agg. in the trap. I paid careful attention to thorax bases, and the presence or absence of obvious brown patches, but no Slender Brindle. That was yesterday. In the evening I released the catch. As a beginner, my biggest concern is cocking up a decent moth by misidentifying it as something common, so, as per usual, I checked each egg tray before shaking off its moths, in case I'd overlooked anything obvious. And look what I found!

Slender Brindle, also known as Tyro's Gaffe.

So, a big thank-you to Les Evans-Hill for the heads-up. But honestly, how did I miss that?!

Slender Brindle is the most recent addition to the garden list, but last night's catch added three new species for the year...

Wednesday night, 19th July

In contrast to the blazing heat of this time last year it was a clear and chilly night, and 88 moths of 42 species was better than I expected. Two Privet Hawk-moths in the trap was a first, and a nice highlight, and here are some others...

Elephant Hawk-moth on Hazel. Mmmmmm...

A pristine Brussels Lace. We've caught 30 this year, but the peak was definitely in June.

First Four-spotted Footman of the year.  A male.

First of the year. There will be lots more.

Marbled Green. Another first for the year. Four trapped in 2022.

Following one at the end of May, this is the garden's second. With less than 10 other West Dorset records on the Living Record map (and none in the Bridport area) probably a decent catch.

Blair's Mocha #10 for 2023. Am I going to post a photo of every single Blair's Mocha I trap? Possibly. I do like them. Not many moths have blobs of Tipp-Ex on their wings.