Multitudes

Much warmer weather on Thursday night brought the year's first, real crowd of moths in time for P and my wedding anniversary yesterday. 38 years!  And it seems like yesterday. P even got asked the secrets of a long-lived marriage at her tennis sesh in the morning. She didn't say so, but giving your husband a moth trap is definitely one of them.

I haven't time this morning to sort things tremendously efficiently, with lovely visitors from the US coming for the weekend. So this will be a bit listy. Moth number 2 is a Pug whose exact identity I need more time to check, but something about it suggests that may be a Dotted one. Update: Typical me...There is no Dotted Pug. After many hours of research, I think it is the White-spotted Pug.

Next, the year's first Cinnabar, a lovely moth whose greeny background colour is actually black. Its caterpillars love ragwort and that's sufficient reason for me to oppose the moans of those who wish to pull up wholesale this pretty and useful flower.

Another Year First, the beautiful White Ermine, whose arrival I expected after the recent spate of its duskier relative, the Muslin moth.

And another: the Common Swift, little male top, larger female below. One of the most primitive of UK moths in terms of its internal organs.

Also new for the year: the Shears, whose patterning rather suggests to me the name of Nipper.

A very lovely Carpet; the Silver-ground; new too.

And a Brimstone, adding a splash of colour and warmth.

For the 2017 newcomers' list again: a Marbled or Lesser Marbled Minor; too difficult to distinguish between them.

A Spectacle moth; plenty have already been this year but I can never resist showing them.

A fine Pale Tussock (new for the year once more) about to be probed by a Daddy Longlegs

And another of the larger moths, the nicely-named Coxcomb Prominent.

A second Pug whose exact ID must wait. Update: I'll go for Mottled Pug and wait to be corrected.

And two Treble Lines; not new for the year but an attractive pair and pose.

A Chocolate-tip, a moth which first came last week but this one has adopted a less usual resting position, with its wings slightly spread like a cloak and its strange little tail arrangements peeing out below the fringe.

One Pug that even I can ID: the sweet little Lime Speck.

And a second that I can't - yet... Update: I think it's the Brindled Pug.

A Muslin moth showing its rather discreet markings - two shades of grey - which are not always apparent.

Micro selection - please give me time.

A good old Poplar Hawk, this one in fine condition unlike the battered relative which marked the species' debut last week.

That beautiful moth, the Powdered Quaker

Another Pug which I can do - the V-Pug, clearly showing the reason for its name (and, rather unusually for this species when at rest, its petticoats)

And another which needs time. Update: another Brindled?

Finally another delightful moth, the Buff Ermine, which completes a lovely May trio with the White Ermine and the Muslin.

Phew!