Nine NFG

2024 was technically my third season of mothing (though I did start mid-way through 2022) and produced exactly 20 new species for the garden, or NFG. To be fair, my efforts were a bit sporadic, but even so, I was happy enough with 20. This year has been similarly hit and miss on the effort front, but the rewards on another level! Last Saturday night alone produced five NFG; Thursday night, one of two NFG was a ridiculous rarity; Friday night, five more NFG...

Which brings us to last night - Saturday - which produced an astonishing NINE new moths!

I am glad I no longer count stuff, because frankly I would not be able to cope at the moment. It is more than time-consuming enough just potting and photographing the highlights. Anyway, here is an illustrated summary of last night's catch...

Migrants

No migrant NFGs as far as I could tell, but some proper quality even so...

Our third Small Marbled.

Pearly Underwing x2. There is just one previous garden record, from September 2022.

Pearly Underwing, showing the grey, tufty ridge along the thorax.

Bordered Straw #5 for the year.

In addition there were two or three Diamond-backs and at least one European Corn-borer, so the night was very productive migrant-wise.

 

NFGs  

Thankfully I managed pics of all nine...

Mottled Beauty. In three years I have checked hundreds and hundreds of Willow Beauties in case they were something other than Willow Beauty, but they never have been. Until now. Finally!

Purple Clay. A bit knackered, but who cares? Nice to see a hint of purple on its wings.

Cypress Carpet

Size-wise this Gromwell Ermine Ethmia dodecea is no different to the hundreds of indeterminate ermines that have inundated the garden recently, but those fat spots nail it. Not rare or anything, but satisfying all the same.

Bracken Gall Moth Monochroa cytisella

Not quite the photo I would have liked of this rather smart Pine Knot-horn Dioryctria abietella, but like many pyralids it was a bit of a 'mare in the studio.

Barred Hook-tip

Gorse Wanderer Brachmia blandella, presumably having wandered from some gorse.

Cock's-foot Miner Elachista atricomella. This moth has a number of look-alikes, but hopefully I've got the ID correct. Anyway, it's common enough.

None of the NFG moths appear to be particularly uncommon locally, so most are just a bit overdue I guess. In fact the scarcest non-migrant last night was a species I first encountered about three weeks into my mothing journey, in June 2022. At the time I managed a pot-shot only. This morning I made up for that...

 

Quality

Shaded Pug

Shaded Pug is not common in Dorset, though the Living Record map suggests there are hot-spots here and there. Bridport is not one of them, and there are no dots other than ours.

I potted this little beauty off the trap vanes late last night. I wonder whether it would have found its way inside had I not been out there... 

Incidentally, the right hind-wing is malformed, not damaged.

 

Random

There were lots of other smart moths and a bit of interesting bycatch, so a few more pics...

Giant Lacewing Osmylus fulvicephalus. What a beast!

Pied Rabbit Moth Ypsolopha sequella. We get a few each year of this quirky micro.

Fleabane Drab Phtheochroa inopiana. Our third or fourth this year I think, but the first I've managed to photograph. Slippery blighters! Not especially common locally.

Cream-bordered Green Pea. One of those 'two or three a year' moths, but there were two in last night's catch.

Blair's Mocha. The first for a while.

Immaculate Bordered Beauty. Caught two last night, though only had one or two a year previously.

Vapourer. Another moth encountered infrequently.

So, following that ridiculously prolific session I did wonder about the wisdom of doing it all again tonight, with the inevitable consequences upon real life and my ability to function as a human...

Anyway, the trap is lit.