Thursday May 17

I put the moth trap out last night despite a downturn in the temperature overnight.

So this morning I was delighted to discover a Pug on the flap of the socket cover, and then three proper moths in the box.

The biggest and best was a Pale Tussock. This is a new one for me, but the books say they are pretty common. The feathered antennae indicated it was a male, and again the books say that males are much more likely to be attracted to light than the larger females.

Pale Tussock

Next to be pulled out was my first Heart and Dart of the year. Actually, it is probably the first on the property for many years because it hasn't featured in this blog before. I have seen them on moth-trapping events in the past, and I know they are a common moth. Nice though.

Heart and Dart

Another moth clinging to the egg boxes was a Shuttle-shaped Dart, my second this year.

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Finally, I required the assistance of JS with the pug, which was boring-looking even by pug standards. It turned out to be my second Common Pug of the year.

Common Pug

Hopefully I will eventually be able to identify them myself.

During the late afternoon I noticed at least two Psychoides filicivora moths on the ferns outside the front window. These are truly tiny micro-moths, and they hatch there every year.

Psychoides filicivora