Moths and things

 

There has been a better catch of moths this spring than for a couple of years - here's a selection

First is a first for this trap, a Scalloped Hazel, beautiful understated and subtly coloured moth. Surprising I haven't seen one before seeing as there's plenty of hazel around the garden

 

 

Brimstone moth isn't uncommon here, but it IS a beautiful creature

 

Another first this season is Square Spot Rustic, a frequent catch

 

Shears too are common, but this year they are an early presence in the trap

First Setaceous Hebrew Character this morning, there will be hundreds later in the year

 

 

After lots of poring over my Waring and Townsend, I concluded this is an unusually dark Heart and Dart, what do you think?

 

Another new one for the season, hundreds of these Large Yellow Underwing will be around later

Rustics are early too this year, and the Early Grey is actually a bit late for this garden, tho' not the first by 5 weeks



 

Out walking yesterday this Corn Bunting was very confiding, and he rattled his keys well for us

 

 

Lots of spring flowers, even common ones, look good now

 

Dog walking is a pleasure this time of year too

 

 

Now, can anyone tell me what this is, found on a gatepost up on the Barrow Mount

 

Less time for model railways now, but some progress building retaining walls out of hardboard, not bad eh?

 

 

there's also a new footbridge and the beginnings of the station building

 

next to come is the painted backscene - unlike these two, it will need to be an urban one, something of a challenge to my feeble painting skills

Look what I found in the garden

 

The garden here been an interesting place to be this week, firstly because this little beauty was in the trap on Tuesday morning, a Peach Blossom

 

In spite of it's name, it likes to eat Brambles when it's a caterpillar - smasher isn't it?

 

The first Common Marbled Carpet of the year was pretty enough but not ever so well marked

 

This, however, was a bit special. It was found in the evergreen Honeysuckle (also known as Henry's Honeysuckle - Lonicera henryi - by the front door yesterday

By my reckoning it's a Hummingbird Hawkmoth caterpillar, but if not please tell me what it is

Thanks to Claire (see comments) who has identified it as a Copper Underwing caterpillar - thanks Claire

 

 

Also this week I returned with Ian Roberts to the Heronry at Lympne, where, thanks to his help, we managed to find 13 nests, a huge improvement on the six I counted earlier. At least three were new nests and another 3 seemed to be in a "new" tree in a different part of the wood, maybe displaced by a fallen nesting tree last winter

 

While in the wood, electric eyes Ian also found this superb little moth which didn't photograph well in the dark and with his 'phone, but you can see well enough it's a Mocha, a bit of a rarity I believe

 

 

Now all we need is a Latte, and a Cappuchino perhaps!!