Autumn on its way.....

Had a couple of brief mothing sessions during the week with new species for the garden list including Lesser Yellow-Underwing*, Rosy Rustic, Red Twin-spot Carpet*, Scarce Footman*, Oak hooktip* and Dusky Sallow*

Scarce Footman


Rosy Rustic


Oak Hooktip


Left the trap on all night last night, a fair haul this morning but not the near over whelming numbers from last weekend. Scattered among the Silver Y's, Scalloped Oaks and Common Rustic's this morning were garden ticks in the form of Purple Thorn*, Olive*, Nutmeg* and Maple Prominent* (sounds more like the ingredients for a Jamie Oliver concoction than a list of moths!) Macro moth Garden Year List 148

Maple Prominent

Olive

Nutmeg

Purple Thorn

Thankfully this week we received some prolonged showers which not only kissed life back into the garden but brought some welcome relief to a increasingly dry looking pond. No sign of the Mallard and her youngster's, I imagine they got off safely to bigger waters but the Moorhens are still scuttling about on the far bank. Odonata (Dragonflies) are still being represented by Azure and Blue tailed Damselflies, a pair of Common Darters and a blue and green chequered Southern Hawker. With August just around the corner we will be increasingly on the look out for bird movement again and a change in habitat as the crops are harvested and the fields are ploughed bare again. Things are already starting to turn with a Golden Plover west, Hobby east and a typically glowing adult Mediterranean Gull drifting south of the village this morning. GYL 82

The Pond

High summer in Aylmerton