Outsiders

This is the best time of the year for moth watchers. Arrivals are increasing in both number and variety and trap inspection time coincides with dawn - above. Today's guest list includes an interesting locally common moth, the Frosted Green, which needs an oak tree. Luckily, we have a fine example in the garden.

An interesting feature of last night's visitors was how many preferred to stay outside the trap and roost on our nearby house wall.  Here's the tally: a whole load of Brindled Beauties, a couple of Streamers, one on the wall and one on the trap's transparent plastic cowl beneath the bulb flex, and a Brindled Pug on one of our windows. 

Here's the pug again, full-size, in case I've mis-identified it, which would not be surprising. And below that, one of the other Brindled Beauties which preferred the eggboxes. I disturbed it by mistake, and it obligingly responded by opening its wings and showing off its antennae.

Here's a Clouded Drab, too and then a picture showing how little moths get up to during the day. I took this at 6.30pm and there are the three Brindled Beauties still on the wall. They haven't moved all day. The Streamer was slumbering away as well, just out of shot.

Today was gloriously sunny and the butterflies were out in scores. I saw my first Comma, below, my first Holly Blue which wouldn't stop for a photograph, and dozens of Orange Tips, one of which, a female, paused long enough for me to record her marvellously delicately patterned and coloured underwing.