A moth or two

A veritable box of moths was emptied today and surprisingly there seemed fewer than there ought to have been. That means many might well have escaped into the inner recesses of the Land Rover to reappear at the most inopportune moments!

Mostly Large Yellow Underwings, they are a 'nuisance' species. Over 100 in the box. Plenty of Lesser Yellow Underwings too.

A brace of still well marked Large Yellow Underwings. Most of them were faded and worn as a result of their migration. This species is an immigrant from the continent.

A Flame Shoulder takes a nap on a Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing.

Yellow-barred Brindle was a good find being described as local in the NW. It looks green rather than yellow as this is a fresh specimen. We had half a dozen of them both fresh and faded 'yellow' ones.

A faded Willow Beauty made a dash for freedom but only got as far as the kitchen wall. he's a male as can be seen from the feathery antenna just visible at the base of his left, our right, hand wing by his leg.

Hmmm...a copper underwing but is it an ordinary, common or garden, Copper Underwing or is it Svensson's Copper Underwing? No idea, but we did get at least two of each thanks to chomping Frank who gave us dead, dying or well stunned specimens to study in minute detail. In the daylight their copper unnderwing lives up to its name - a beautiful metallic coppery sheen to it as they sped towards the safety of Base Camp's flowerbeds.Two in the pot but are they the different or the same - if the same which one are they? Anyone's guess really.

Not the world's best picture of a Shuttle Shaped Dart. More to follow from Extreme Photographer, Raf's exloits in the pitch dark last night, when I get 'em, including one which if it is what we think it is, and he got a good photo, shouldn't be in these parts...hmm interesting...one for the experts me thinks.

Where to next? Could be anywhere next!

In the meantime let us know what's flying round your pitch black outback.