Rare Things

If I had written this post a week ago it would have started like this...

Thus far in 2025 I can reasonably say that my sporadic deployment of the little moth trap has been worthwhile and rewarding, if not spectacular...

Well, that was a week ago. Since then we have been subject to the influence of warm air from the Continent and the moths that came with it, including the spectacular!

For me it all began last Friday night.

I like to spend time with the trap after dark if I can, monitoring the arrival of new moths. Because very often a moth will alight somewhere on the trap rather than in the trap, or on the old towel I hang on the garage wall, or on the garage wall itself, or any one of numerous other places. Sometimes they never alight at all, but just fly past. So there I hover, net and pots to hand, ready to pounce on any interesting moth the moment it gives me a chance. On Friday night a little plume moth landed on the mouth of the trap, and I was on it in a flash. Three years ago we trapped one very similar, and it turned out to be the scarce migrant, Scarce Light Plume Oxyptilus laetus. So did this...

Scarce Light Plume Oxyptilus laetus

Result! There are not loads of Dorset records, so this is a quality migrant. And it was not the only migrant that night...

Bordered Straw. Our first since 2022, when we trapped a total of four.

European Corn-borer is a common migrant.

So that was last Friday. The promising conditions persisted, and I was hopeful that Saturday might be better still...

It was. For a start, there was a massive arrival of assorted ermine moths. Back when I used to count a night's trap contents I think we once broke 200, with 207 individual moths. Last Saturday the ermine moths alone numbered somewhere comfortably north of 200, perhaps as many as 300...

One corner of one side of one trap vane. A small sample of ermines.

In quick succession I potted three quality moths from various spots around the trap...

Small Marbled. Despite its diminutive size, not a micro, but a quality migrant and garden first.

Woundwort Pearl Anania stachydalis. Our second, after one in 2022. Nationally Scarce B.

Bramble Bronze Argolamprotes micella. Also our second, after one in 2022. And again, Nationally Scarce B.

A few more nice moths from that night...

Tawny Shears - 2FG (second for garden)

The fur-ball that is Yellow-tail

Yellow-tail, showing yellow tail.

Bordered Beauty. Annual in the garden, just.

The gaudy little Gold W Argyresthia brockeella - NFG (new for garden)

Pine Carpet, one of two. NFG

Barred Yellow. We don't see many.

A pristine Elder Pearl Anania coronata. Superficially similar to the much rarer Woundwort Pearl, but see below.

Apart from forewing shape (stubbier, slightly hooked) Woundwort Pearl also has subtly different markings.

Yellow Oak Tortrix Aleimma loeflingiana. NFG.

Spotted Knothorn Phycitodes binaevella. We've had one or two previously.

White-banded Grass-moth Crambus pascuella. Have photographed this species at Cogden, but this is a garden first.

Five NFG species was pretty amazing, but I needed a night off! The trap came out again on Monday...

This battered Bordered Straw was the night's bit of migrant quality.

A lovely White Satin, not a moth we've had more than a couple of times previously I think.

Apple Leaf Skeletoniser (great name!) Choreutis pariana. NFG. Not loads of dots on the Dorset Living Record map, and only one in the Bridport area, so probably a decent record.

Garden Stilt Gracillaria syringella. We've only had one or two previously.

Privet Hawk-moth. Always stunning.

I had Tuesday and Wednesday off, and very nearly didn't bother last night either. However, the moth folk I follow on BlueSky have been posting plenty of motivation lately, including stuff like this...

I'll be honest, I had heard of the Druid but didn't really know how big a deal it was. The replies to Paul's post, along with a quick bit of research, revealed all. The Druid is a proper rarity. Looking at the photo, I wondered if I might have overlooked this biggie had it come my way. Apart from the white flashes on the hind-wings I thought it looked superficially like Small Angle Shades. Probably it is a bit sacrilegious to say that, but I am well aware that I could easily overlook a lot of rare moths because I do not have their search image in my repertoire; I'm still a beginner in many ways. Ah well, at least Paul's photo of the Druid was now stored away safely in my meagre stock of Mega Alert moths.

Which brings me to last night...

It's 11:15pm, and after a slow start I am beginning to see the odd moth at last. I hang an old towel on the garage wall by the trap, and moths sometimes alight on or near it upon arrival. Like this moth right now, a few inches to the left of the towel, fluttering against the bricks. Wait a sec! White flashes on the hind wings?! Pale triangles on the forewings?! Though I do not really believe what I am seeing, I cannot deny it, nor the uncanny match with my recently created search image. Instinctively I thrust a pot over it, conscious of a small rush of adrenaline. I hold the pot hard against the brickwork, my prize fluttering back and forth, not settling. I need to get the lid on, but dare not risk lifting even a tiny bit of the lip off the wall in order to do so. So I stand there, gormlessly helpless, wishing I had been sensible enough to have a piece of card handy to slide twixt pot and brick. Eventually, somehow I manage...

Druid in a pot. In the background a finger, probably still shaking a little.

So there we are. Our little 40W actinic bucket trap pulls in a pukka rarity. Migrant-wise, there is not a lot else really. Our third Bordered Straw of the year is notable, but I am pretty sure that's about it. That doesn't mean there weren't some other classy moths though...

Gold-barred Marble Celypha aurofasciana is Nationally Scarce A, and there are currently no Living Record map dots in the Bridport area. NFG, obviously!

Privet Stilt Caloptilia cuculipennella. I think we have had just one before. Nationally Scarce A, and evidently not common in Dorset.

A lovely Bordered Beauty photographed on the side of the trap last night. It wasn't in there this morning, which illustrates why I like to be out there. There must be a stack of moths which visit but don't get caught.

Our second Maple Snout Anarsia innoxiella. Still not many records in Dorset.

Scarlet Tiger. Common enough locally, but a scarce visitor to the trap.

Satin Grass-moth Crambus perlella. Unlike some of the other crambids, we don't get loads of these.

Engrailed is a scarce visitor here, and makes a nice change from the many, many Willow Beauties that are never anything but Willow Beauties!

Bordered Straw number three for the year. Four in 2022, none the last two years. I have a good feeling about 2025...

The darkest, most contrasty Small Phoenix I have ever seen, I reckon.

And here is the star of the show - the Druid. Less than pristine, but it's travelled a bit...

The Druid

So the trap is out again tonight - obviously! - and in a moment I'll be out there, anticipating all sorts of stuff that I definitely will not catch. The reality is that our trap doesn't really pull in a ton of moths. When I compare numbers and variety of migrants, for example, with those reported by other moth folk in this part of the world, we get a tiny fraction of them. Even so, I am pleasantly surprised by how our modest tallies will sometimes include something truly exceptional. When it comes to moth trapping, it seems, you just never know...