Riches once more

After a slowish period in terms of new arrivals for the year, the moth trap picked up last night in stylish fashion; newcomers, beautiful guests and very large numbers of moths overall, plus a rich variety of beetles, flies and other insects.

My favourite is the Gold Spot or Lempke's Gold Spot, a very similar species, which also intrigued my granddaughter on whose finger it is perching in my first picture. These 'metallic' moths are a wonderful tribute to the intricacies of wing scales on moths; the effect of the tiny reflecting and refracting plates, fixed like tiles on a roof, simply glows.

I was also very pleased to have an example of the super-stylish Sycamore moth shown in my third picture. Its palette is modest and not at all in the colourful part of the spectrum. But there is something about the clean lines and well-defined pattern which make it extremely appealing.

There is something Autumnal about the arrival of the Sallow family of moths, but we still have plenty of Summer left to be enjoyed by early-comers such as the two Centre-barred Sallows shown above. Meanwhile it's good to see Burnished Brasses of both forms - aurea top with an equally greenish shield bug and juncta bottom - below.

Top marks too for the lovely Chinese Character moth whose eponymous piece of 'Chinese lettering' shows up nicely on this photo:

Two slightly different Marbles Beauties next, one of them under investigation from one of many different varieties of Shield Bug which came along to suss out the eggboxes. 

And next a pair of different Carpet moths, a family whose delicate colouring is always a treat to find in the trap.  The top one is  a Red Carpet  Update: no, as per my Commentor, it's the very similar Flame Carpet and the second one a Garden Carpet, according to my best estimation.

Now to a couple of Thorns, August or September I've not got to time to say precisely but will have a better stab shortly, aided by the recent excellent guide which I borrowed from Upper Thames Moths.

And so to the Miscellanea, which I will identify by captions 'cos I've got to be off shortly to set the trap for whatever comes visiting tonight.

Flounced Rustic, I think

A Large Yellow Underwing guards one of those naughty American ladybirds with all its spots

An absolutely minute but rather beautiful micro whose identity I will try to establish before the end of the month. Sorry for bad focus. Update, both my Commentor and Peter Hall on the Upper Thames Moths blog kindly point out that this is a leafhopper, not a micro-moth. Whoops.

A Green Shield Bug (as opposed to stamp) in pole position on the bulbholder. Update: No, it's a Hawthorn Shield Bug - thanks to my Commentor again.

A nice little assortment: Mother of Pearl, Large Yellow Underwing and Tawny Speckled Pug

Our old and very regular friend the Poplar Hawk in a state of alarm (at my granddaughter's presence)

Another Flounced Rustic? Plus a Brimstone, one of the commenest moths around just now.

Swallow Prominent

Garden Rose Tortrix

Rosy Rustic

This is a puzzle. A Ringed China-mark maybe? Sorry for poor quality pic.

And a Holly Blue butterfly in the garden to end up with. Has anyone ever seen one of these open its lovely top wings? I haven't.