Recent Moth Finds.

 With few highlights for me with either butterfly or bird it has been mainly the moths that have given me the odd small highlight. Having run the moth trap a few times on the suitable nights a few species have appeared which I've only caught a few times before with the most spectacular being the wonderful Merveille du Jour. Such a beautiful moth that only when seen on lichens does it become clear why it is coloured the way it is

Merveille du Jour.

Yes, there is a Merveille du Jour there.

On the same night a very nice Red-green Carpet was on the fence and a few Delicate were also in the trap.

Red-green Carpet.

Delicate.

The following trap 2 nights later gave me a superb Clancy's Rustic and Chestnut. Neither of these species are rare here but both examples were the best I've had of these moths.

Clancy's Rustic.

Chestnut.

Meanwhile, about a mile away I had a text from Clare saying she had caught a September Thorn and a Gem. Both species I hadn't seen before. 

September Thorn.

Gem.

Whilst photographing these we also came across a Common Newt in her garden. A brief encounter and a quick grab shot of it followed.

Common Newt.

Numbers have grown recently in the amount of Box-tree moths coming to the traps in the vicinity and I have had several over the past couple of months. Having taken a few shots of the normal colour I did have quite a smart dark form moth recently. I have only managed a few poor shots of this form so I was pleased to get a slightly better photo of this one.

Box-tree Moth. (Dark form).