Elton in early September

Some recent highlights from my Elton garden starting with a first confirmed Dark Dagger for the garden. I probably get plenty of the adults but record them as aggregates with Grey Dagger. I don't have the adults dissected as the larvae are readily identifiable but one adult that had died in the trap did go under the microscope and was a Grey Dagger. So both are now confirmed present.

This larva was on a Victoria Plum tree.

Dark Dagger Acronicta tridens, larva


This evening an Old Lady paid an all-too-short visit to wine ropes but Red Underwing a couple of days ago was a bit more obliging.

Red Underwing Catocala nupta



Feathered Gothic Tholera decimalis, female
The last light trap session threw up this scarce visitor to the garden. Having no feathering on the antennae it took a couple of seconds to be sure of the ID.



Nikon Coolpix P4