Harmless

July already; heading into what should be the absolute peak for the garden trap and as I type the garden and roadways are absolutely sodden from some almighty thundery rains late this afternoon. I have managed to get the moth trap out over the last few days though, and on Friday night I managed 101sp. before packing the trap up at c01:30 with heavy rains forecast (that didn't arrive until today). I've not done a lot else since my last walk into the square so just as well the trap is ticking over.

It has brought some decent interest with a new moth and beetle in the mix ....

This is one that was only recognised as a species in 2017, and the timing of that has been coincidentally good with what seems to be a quick range expansion. It was first picked up in VC55 in 2019 with a couple more last year, and already this year a handful have been recorded. I was very hopeful that one would turn up here and so it did, last night in an otherwise mediocre catch:

Anarsia innoxiella - a full British moth tick for me.

The name is derived from the Latin 'innoxia' meaning harmless or innocuous, a reference to it's non-destructive behaviour feeding on Acer spp., unlike Anarsia lineatella, from which it was split, which can be a pest of Prunus sp. crops.

Also one that I'd been expecting, this beetle was tucked up on the house wall behind the trap on Thursday night. I had the camera to hand but no pots, so I grabbed a couple of not so great shots, nipped indoors for a glass tube and by the time I got back out it had moved/scarpered never to be seen again. Never approach a light trap with no pot/tube!

Soronia grisea

Otherwise a few nice moths and other bits to the trap:

Oncopsis subangulata - lacking prominent discoidal spots, and intraocular band weak and does not reach eyes (cf Oncopsis flavicollis)

Leptocerus tineiformis

Zygina flammigera

No ID for this wasp, but it looks funky!

Eucosma conterminana - c20years to the day since it was added to the VC55 list from my garden

Batia lunaris

Carpatolechia fugitivella - second garden record

Small Ranunculus

Scarce Silver Lines - first here since 2013

Burnished Brass - always a pleasure to see these in the trap. This is f. aurea: there was talk of a potential split involving individuals with a proper thick bar joining the two brassy bands [Cryptic Burnished Brass D. stenochrysis], which will make assessment of the intermediate forms with more sender bars (f. tutti) a bit subjective!

Also in the garden, this was loafing on my sallow sapling in sunshine ....

Dichrorampha vancouverana - second for garden after the first VC55 record in 2002

I found this larva munching on the flowers of Smooth Hawk's-beard. I couldn't identify it so I've tried to rear it through and it has now pupated; not sure if I'll be waiting weeks or months to find out what it is ....

I didn't post an update on the SP5595ish yearlist at the end of May, so I'll get around to that in the next post.

I'm not having to try too hard to avoid being overexcited by the Euro Championships, but if there is a victory on Wednesday night it's definitely going to be hard not to get swept away with it next weekend!