Blood-vein & Buff Tip

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Blood-vein (Timandra comae, #929) was a new species for the list; a pretty moth with a red line and pink border to the wing, its larval food-plants are docks & sorrel. Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is a regular summertime looking like a snapped-off birch twig. Narrow-winged Grey (Eudonia angustea) is normally an autumn flier, but a few, like this one, emerge earlier. Small Magpie moth (Anania hortulata) is a common moth in June/July too, especially around nettles.

More May Moths

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The Buff Tip moth is one of my favourites, looking just like a snapped off birch twig, though it also frequents other species of deciduous tree. The Treble Lines moth is also one that I caught in June last year. It flies from May to July, its caterpillars eating plantain.

The two new species are the Marbled Minor, actually one of a trio of closely related species that feed on grasses, and the Rush Veneer, that also feeds on clover and grasses. The latter species is an immigrant from the continent that occurs in UK in large numbers sometimes, but usually later in the summer - this is quite an early record.

Moth Trap Update

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Caught a few new moths earlier in the week. The Buff Tip (Phalera bucephala) is not new, but I like them a lot, so I thought I’d include this photo of one trying hard to be a birch twig in the morning sun. The Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) with its yellow edges was new, as was my third type of wainscot moth, the Smoky Wainscot (Mythimna impura). Finally, all the Riband Waves (Idaea aversata) I have seen or caught so until now have been mostly pale, so it was nice to catch this one that actually had a dark “riband” across the wings.