A surprise...and some moths...

The surprise being a third Southern Hawker!....I went down the garden around 7am and caught a glimpse of a dragonfly taking off.  I assumed that it must have been the second Hawker that had been well hidden in the foliage around the pond finally taking flight.  My wife later found a third exuviae by the pond, so obviously it was the third one making a late entry.  Fab!!
And...as the weather was hot it was worth putting the trap out....around 40 moths in this morning which makes a real change from finding a few...here are some highlights....

I love these, they amaze everyone that sees them I reckon....my son was very impressed, even though I have shown them to him before...its just a bit of birch twig....or is it?...

Buff Tip

Ive put this species on before, but like several moths it comes in various guises.  Here is the normal appearance....

Peppered Moth Biston betularia

 This one below, I reckon, is good enough for a variant, insularia, which is a darker form, along with carbonaria, which both dominated in areas of high atmospheric pollution, especially during the industrial revolution when they adapted to the pollution deposits so they could blend in more.  Both the variants are declining as the atmosphere is now a lot cleaner and this adaptation is no longer required......

Peppered Moth insularia

Iron Prominent

Heres an absolute corker....

Scorched Wing

Treble Brown Spot