The beginning of August Ok ok, I am a month behind...but hey it's been hectic times for me and the moths haven't been bad either. This Summer has certainly been one of the best for Hertfordshire in terms of rare records, new for County records and records of moths that haven't been seen for several decades.

Here below are two catches before I went away for my 2 week holiday to Turkey (And yes I did take a light and net with me..more on that soon!)

Highlights were a shocking garden first Phycitodes binaevella and new for years included Campion, Sycamore, Hypatima rhomboidella and the best a 3rd County record of Gelechia Nigra, the first was taken in 1890 and I was lucky enough to trap the 2nd record in my garden on the 21st of August 2013...to get another was very pleasing indeed. Why the moth is so scarce I do not know (The larvae feed off of Poplar and Aspen trees)

Another three surprising new for years were Red Twin-spot Carpet, Nut-tree Tussock and Scorched Carpet, all 3 are not common in my garden in fact I missed out on a 2015 record totally for Red Twin-spot Carpet, so these second generation examples were very welcome.

Catch Report - 02/08/16 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2 [NFY] Campion [NFY] Dusky Thorn 1 [NFY] Red Twin-spot Carpet 1 [NFY] Scorched Carpet 1 [NFY] Brimstone Moth 3 Cabbage Moth 1 Cloaked Minor 1 Common Rustic 5 Dark Arches 3 Dun-bar 1 Dwarf Cream Wave 1 Engrailed 1 Fan-foot 1 Flame Shoulder 2 Garden Carpet 3 July Highflyer 2 Large Yellow Underwing 5 Least Carpet 1= Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2 Maiden's Blush 2 Magpie Moth 2 Marbled Beauty 1 Mottled Rustic 2 Poplar Hawk-moth 1 Riband Wave 2 Scalloped Oak 1 Scarce Footman 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart 1 Silver-Y 3 Slender Brindle 1 Small Fan-footed Wave 1= Small Rivulet 1 Snout 1= Spectacle 1 Straw Dot 1= Straw Underwing 2 Uncertain 1 Willow Beauty 2 Yellow Shell 1

Micro Moths

Phycitodes binaevella 1 [NFG] Acleris variegana 2 [NFY] Hypatima rhomboidella 1 [NFY] Pandemis corylana 1 [NFY] Acentria ephemerella 2 Acrobasis advenella 1 Agriphila straminella 1 Aleimma loeflingiana 1 Argyresthia goedartella 1 Argyrotaenia ljungiana 1 Batia lunaris 1 Blastobasis adustella 2 Blastobasis lacticolella 1 Bryotropha domestica 1 Bryotropha terrella 1 Cameraria ohridella 1 Carcina quercana 1 Celypha striana 1 Chrysoteuchia culmella 2 Clepsis consimilana 1 Cydia splendana 1 Ditula angustiorana 1 Endotricha flammelis 2 Epiphyas postvittana 4 Eudonia mercurella 1 Evergestis forficalis 1 Helcystogramma rufescens 1 Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1 Lyonetia clerkella 1 Oegoconia sp 2 Parornix sp 1 Phycita roborella 1 Pleuroptya ruralis 3 Plutella xylostella 1 Spilonota ocellana 3 Udea prunalis 4 Yponomeuta sp 1

Catch Report - 05/08/16 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Least Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY] Nut-tree Tussock 1 [NFY] Sycamore 1 [NFY] Common Rustic 12 Dark Arches 4 Dun-bar 1 Garden Carpet 5 July Highflyer 1 Large Yellow Underwing 1 Magpie Moth 2 Maple Pug 1 Marbled Beauty 1 Red Twin-spot Carpet 1 Riband Wave 2 Rustic 1 Scarce Footman 1 Shuttle-shaped Dart 1 Spectacle 1 Straw Underwing 3 Willow Beauty 2 Yellow-tail 1

Micro Moths

Gelechia nigra 1 [NFY] Phyllonorycter harrisella 1 [NFY] Acentria ephemerella 2 Acrobasis advenella 1 Agriphila straminella 1 Agriphila tristella 2 Aleimma loeflingiana 1 Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 9 Anania hortulata 3 Argyresthia albistria 1 Argyrotaenia ljungiana 2 Batia lunaris 1 Blastobasis adustella 4 Blastobasis lacticolella 1 Carcina quercana 1 Celypha striana 3 Chrysoteuchia culmella 1 Clepsis consimilana 1 Cydia splendana 1 Ditula angustiorana 1 Endotricha flammelis 2 Epiphyas postvittana 3 Eudemis profundana 1 Eudonia lacustrata 3 Eudonia mercurella 1 Pandemis corylana 2 Phycita roborella 1 Pleuroptya ruralis 2 Plutella xylostella 5 Pyrausta aurata 1 Spilonota ocellana 2 Teleiodes vulgella 1 Udea prunalis 4