Just one species added this month - total 1533:

After last year's blank, this was an exceptional year for rare migrants on the Isles of Scilly.

​Migrant totals are recorded below - the numbers show total obtained in 18 nights of trapping / highest number for a single night and / number of nights on which the species was obtained.

Those species with images above have been added to the site this month - bring the total to 1532 species.

Forward and back buttons added to families and species in the 'Families 1' group and Gelechioidea as far as Gelechiidae
Pages written on identification of Yponomeuta, Bryotropha and Monochroa species
Prays fraxinella page revised following identification of specimens as P.ruficeps and P.ruficeps page added

Total number of species presented: 1524

Dissecting specimens from Orlestone Forest from 26th July identifed three new species:
​49.233 Epinotia solandriana; 62.033 Acrobasis tumidana and 70.148 Eupithecia inturbata (Maple Pug)

Trapping in my garden on 2nd produced an Aplasta ononaria (Rest Harrow) and one new species for the (web)site: 71.001 Thaumetopoea processionea (Oak Processionary). 
Trapping on Foulness on 3rd produced another 9 Rest Harrow - which must be an Essex record? and one new species for the (web)site - 49.122 Aethes dilucidana.
Trapping on Foulness on 11th provided my 2nd Essex Jersey Tiger - unfortunately it escaped before I could gets its photo.

Total number of species presented: 1518

Site Search
I have become increasingly dissatisfied with the Google Search box (previously) on the Home page - I have now removed this and replaced it with a recommendation to use the Google Chrome "search this site" extension. If you have not installed this function you can do so by following the link on the home page - the link also gives simple instructions for its use.

This month I made visits to Cranwich Heath (5th), Strumpshaw Fen (6th&7th), Orlestone Forest (11th&26th) and Dungeness (12th&13th) as well as trapping in my usual locations - Westcliff-on-sea and Foulness. Two species worthy of note from my garden trap were a Plumed Fan-foot (25th) and a Jersey Tiger (30th).
​Species new to me (all of which have been added to the site) were:
4th & 25th 15.085 Phyllonorycter joannisi, 1 in my garden
5th 33.001 Ethmia dodecea, 3 at Cranwich Heath
5th 73.282 Hadena compta (Varied Coronet) 1 at Brundall (provided by Ben) 
6th 37.032 Coleophora albitarsella, 1 at Strumpshaw Fen
11th 35.070 Monochroa lutulentella, 1 at Orlestone Forest
11th 37.036 Coleophora conyzae, 1 at Hamstreet
11th 70.020 Scopula nigropunctata (Sub-angled Wave), 1 at Orlestone Forest and another at Dungeness on 12th
11th 70.304 Thalera fimbrialis (Sussex Emerald), 1 present on arrival at Dungeness Obs, 1 trapped on 12th and another on 13th.
12th 49.061 Acleris holmiana, 2 at Dungeness
12th 49.081 Acleris permutana, 4 at Dungeness, and another 1 on 13th
12th 63.023 Anania verbascalis, 1 at Dungeness
18th 45.022 Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla, 1 at Foulness
18th 49.278 Gypsonoma minutana, 1 at Foulness
25th 04.076 Ectoedemia decentella, 1 in my garden
26th 13.002 Roeslerstammia erxlebella, 2 at Orlestone Forest
26th 28.001 Bisigna procerella, 1 at Orlestone Forest
26th 35.060 Apodia bifractella, 2 at Orlestone Forest

I first noticed an infestation of a case-bearer on our garden furniture on 21st April, and identified it as 11.009 Luffia ferchaultella. Although I was able to find a deceased adult at the end of June, my efforts to see or rear a live adult were unsuccessful. This being primarily a site concerned with the identification of adult Lepidoptera, I now present one of the most atypical adult moths in the British fauna.

In a cool and breezy week of trapping on Mull from 18th I managed to find 5 species new for me:
15.082 Phyllonorycter klemannella, 37.061 Coleophora lixella, 40.015 Mompha raschkiella, 45.006 Platyptilia isodactylus and 49.214 Ancylis badiana - but failed to find the main target species, Grey.

Total of 1493 species presented.

A week of Munro-bagging in the eastern Cairngorms, 1st to 7th, also produced Eriocrania semipurpurella and Kentish Glory. A night of trapping at Strumpshaw Fen on our way home on 8th obtained my first Buttoned Snout.

A night of trapping in the New Forest on 15th produced three species new for me, even if two of them were rather worn:

A night of trapping with Ben at Strumpshaw Fen on 25th resulted in the first catch of the year with more than 100 species, but nothing new for me (although a couple of Elachisitids and Gelechiids need further examination). Next day we went to Buxton Heath in the afternoon in search of Large Red-belted Clearwing, with 2 CUL lures. We have both tried many apparently suitable places in good warm sunny conditions at the right time of year in each of the last 7 or 8 years, without success. Ben was aware that this site had held this species in the past but that others had been unsuccessful in recent years. We found a woody spot with birch stumps and had no luck. Then we tried a damp heathy area with coppiced birch showing 1-2 years of regrowth and a few isolated dead birch stumps. Here we attracted 6 LRBCs in half an hour around 15:15.

Total of 1487 species presented

Dissecting a specimen of Pammene obscurana caused me to re-examine and re-identify the specimen previously presented as this species. I now believe this former specimen to be P.agnotana. I have done a page comparing these two (Pammene) and would be happy to receive any comments either confirming or refuting this ID. If confirmed this (the P.agnotana) would be the first record for Essex.

A visit to Tolleshunt D'Arcy (Essex) on 10th April was successful in finding Aleucis distinctata (Sloe Carpet). I set 2 actinic traps but none came to light in the first two hours after dusk and I did not net any flying around (I did net several other species, so I think this is because they were not flying). I found 6 individuals between ~21:30 and 22:30, all on fairly bare blackthorn twigs, none on the flowers and none in the first hour after dusk.

A visit to Bernwood Forest (Oxfordshire) on the warm night of 18th April produced ~1000 moths of 47 species in 2 Robinson and 2 Heath traps - my best ever April catch. The main target species was Cerastis leucographa (White-marked), of which I obtained only one somewhat atypical specimen. An additional 3 species new to me were caught: Zelleria hepariella, Acleris literana and Pammene splendidulana

Total species presented now 1479.

No blog posted for February 2018 due to foreign travel.
Four new species added this month (all shown below), bringing the total to 1472.
And a new page published to aid separation of Autographa pulchrina vs A.jota (Beautiful vs Plain Golden Y)