Bonanza

For the first time this year, after the long, cold and often wet nights of May, the moths arrived in hordes on a balmy evening. Among them the common but delectable pair above and below, an Elephant Hawk beside its compact little relative, The Small Elephant. They shared the eggboxes with the extremely battered Lime Hawk below, so I have gone from the slowest start to the season I can remember to having more than half my regular hawks ticked off.

The condition of the Lime Hawk is a reminder that moths may well be about in foul weather but probably roosting or making only occasional forays. I am sorry that you cannot see him in all his original splendour, but maybe another one will come. 

The other arrival which caught my eye was the Pebble Hook-tip below with the striking scimitar curve of its wings. This is the first brood of the year. I can expect a second when its children hatch in August.

I will have to write a second post to finish the catalogue without boring you, but here are few more of my arrivals. The grandchildren have now arrived and will soon be badgering me to see what came last night. So for now:

A Chocolate-tip (presumably one of those cherry-liqueur-filled ones which we hated as children, plus a pug which I will try to ID eventually

A Chinese Character (the wispy, silvery lines give it the name) in its distinctive sleeping pose

A Figure of 80 (read the little marks backwards or turn the moth upside down)

A Common (but very beautiful) Swift

And finally a waspy thing in case some wasp or beetle expert is passing by. It took a liking to my shorts. Update: Many thanks to Conehead in Comments: It's a Wasp Beetle, one of the longhorn beetle tribe, and in spite of its name, no threat to my legs.