14th August 2020 - feeling blue

A remarkably poor catch became completely irrelevant when under the last egg box was this monster, an awesome Clifden Nonpareil. Although in recent years they have been turning up in several places it is still a rare treat to catch one. I was taken aback by its size and it caused me to improvise after not being immediately able to find a pot it fitted comfortably in. 

[614] Clifden Nonpareil

This is the view that I was presented with when turning the egg box over:

It was also a very popular moth with the youngsters:

The only other moth of note was a smart Purple Bar which was new for the year:

9th & 11th May 2018

Despite predicting that I wouldn't get many new moths from now on, a few appeared over the nights of 9th and 11th May:

[400] Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet
[401] Purple Bar
[402] Yellow-barred Brindle
[403] Least Black Arches

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet is often indistinguishable from Red Twin-spot Carpet (they both have 'red' and 'dark' barred versions) but all the pointers on this individual seem to be towards Dark-barred:  

Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Purple Bar is a smart carpet (that isn't very purple mind) and this one is only my 3rd record in Cottenham. Both previous records were 2nd generation individuals in July and August 2013.

Purple Bar Cosmorhoe ocellata

Yellow-barred Brindle was regular at Corbett Street so its a little surprising that it hasn't turned up here before now. This one nearly eluded me too, helped by young Dylan I noticed it up high up on a wall late in the afternoon:

Yellow-barred Brindle Acasis viretata

Least Black Arches was something I caught on my very first trap night in Cottenham I believe. However I haven't recorded in since 2014; so it was nice to find two on the wall next to the trap:

Least Black Arches Nola confusalis