Merveille du Jour

We had a good time in Derbyshire, staying in a converted barn close to Hognaston village and Carsington Water. The weather was reasonable and we were able to get out walking every day and I even managed to pick up Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow and Dipper as per my earlier blog. However, the nights always seemed to be cold, windy and wet and in the end I didn't even try putting the moth trap out.

We then moved on to stay for a couple of days at Bawdsey on the Suffolk Coast. It's a place we visit each year and the mothing had always been good but I had never tried it as late as the end of October. Mothing back home in my garden in Sussex drops off rapidly as we go through September and following a run of poor nights in Derbyshire I was not hopeful.

However, first night, sitting on the outside of the trap......

Merveille du Jour - Griposia aprilina

Merveille du Jour, it's not a particularly rare moth but we all have bogey birds, moths or other species, that we just do not manage to connect with and for me this was the moth that was top of my wanted list. Or nearly top, the Oleander may have just edged it.

It was the start of a couple of really good nights. Sixty percent plus of the catch were Beaded Chestnuts, Black Rustics, and Yellow Underwings but amongst the rest of the catch I had eight new moths. I would have preferred them on my garden list but on this occasion second best was good enough.

There was only one new micro - the Ashy Button

Ashy Button - Acleris sparsana

The next, looking a bit worn, the Brick, but it would have been a lot easier to identify if it had retained a bit more detail in it's wings.

Brick - Sunira circellaris 

The other moths were in better condition so there was no problem identifying them.

Feathered Thorn - Colotois pennaria

Green-brindled Crescent - Allophyes oxyacanthae

Mallow - Larentia clavaria

Satellite - Eupsilia transversa

Small Mottled Willow - Spodoptera exigua

 It was just like Christmas had come early.