The MV trap was out last night without any great expectations because the conditions were not ideal, mostly clear skies and cool, but at least the wind had died down. The resulting count was 54 moths of 27 species, disappointing in the light of recent sessions in which 50-60 species have been the norm, but never mind - the effort was worthwhile.
Two fresh faces for the year were Mottled Beauty and
Eudonia delunella:
Ermines (20), Elephant Hawk Moths, Sharp-angled Peacocks, and Small Angle Shades (3 of each) made up over half of the catch. Plenty of Ermines are expected in early summer, but the other three species seem to be particularly abundant this year.
I ran my trap on Thursday with similar results compared to recent nights. Uncertain was my only new specie. I think my peak night for EHM was 19 individuals. Brings back memories of 75 in Surrey in the late 90's. The Silver Y numbers seemed to have peaked, I could easily count 30 nectaring on the sage plants last week.
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