Friday May 25

Its Friday morning and its pelting down.

I have an addendum to add to yesterday's post. On returning from an evening meal at our favourite gastro pub (The Red Lion at Claverdon) we entered the utility room to find a moth flying about.

I assumed it was the one I had found and lost in the morning which I had thought was a Heart and Dart. However, on capturing it I discovered it was too small for Heart and Dart and seemed to lack the dart (and indeed the heart).

However, after an interminable time trawling through images on the Internet, I still couldn't put a name to it.

Shuttle-shaped Dart

I sent the shot off to JS, but have since learnt he will be unable to reply until early next week. He advised me that in future I should try to photograph micros side on (so it doesn't sound like I will get a positive i.d. on the titchy one).

Meanwhile on the outside of the window rested another moth. This turned out to be a Common Swift. The images I took were even more blurred than usual due to the poor light. I let it go as it was getting frantic in the pot. This morning I found it clinging to the wall of the house.

Common Swift

Common Swift

Continuing with last night, our bathroom then attracted two small moths. One was the familiar micro Tachystola acroxantha, the other was a pug. Oh joy !

Common Pug ?

I was hoping I might have finally cracked my Mottled Pug duck, but I think it is actually a Common Pug. Another one for John perhaps (unless he decides to leave the country to get away from me).

Postscript: I think my mystery noctuid is just a Shuttle-shaped Dart looking less shuttle-shaped.