August Moths in Hayes

Orange Swift, Hepialus sylvina.  Hepialidae.   Hayes, 4 August 2014.

As usual, I'm a bit behind with these posts, but there are some very pretty moths from August that are worth showing.  These are all from the light trap in my tiny garden, and this Orange Swift is on one of the pieces of bark I have collected to make some more dramatic shots.

Lesser Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthe.   Noctuidae.  Hayes, 7 August 2014.

This very similar pose is on a piece of egg carton, straight from the trap.  Whereas I was trying to make the Orange Swift look dramatic, here I wanted to show the greenish yellow "face" of the Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (the most cumbersome of the moth names).  Just the front edge of this can be seen in the usual view from above, but it is really quite distinctive and makes it twice as easy to identify.

Straw Dot, Rivula sericealis.  Noctuidae.   Hayes, 7 August 2014.

The Straw Dot is a small grass moth, easy to spot flitting away as you walk through long grass in summer. This is a particularly fresh and well-marked specimen, and this photo shows details like the double spots that you can't usually see without a hand lens.

Rosy Rustic, Hydraecia micacea.  Noctuidae.  Hayes, 16 August 2014.

I like this pretty moth.  The Rosy Rustic has a very distinctive cross-line on its wings that curves up at the edges, repeating the overall wing shape.  This was the first one I have seen in my garden trap.  It's on the edge of another of my pieces of bark.