Time to Build an Ark?

 Sunday August 22

The forecast thundrstorms did not arrive, heavy rain showers did. Robinson moth traps are remarkably rainproof, the only wet egg box is usually the one on the bottom central wire grid. 

One trap is placed on a polystyrene box in order to prevent ants from swarming the trap.Not much use when they are flying..... 

Yesterday, it had a Leopard Slug draped on its side. The UK's second largest slug.

 I'm not generally squeamish - but I do dislike Slugs. Shades of the inside walls of an outside lavatory at night when I was a small child. In the days when having an inside loo was thought to be unhygienic, even if it was a modern flush variety.Thank goodness that it wasn't long before we had an inside loo.

We've had some nice moths in the last few days.

Bordered Beauty

The Leopard, side view and top view (below)

Peacock Moth

Magpie Moth

 

 

Treble Bar

Twin-spotted Wainscot - new for the garden

 

I spent some time weeding and emptying two of my alpine troughs yesterday. The soil mixture was as wet as I have ever known it to be. The mixture contains sand, so the drainage is good. They have now been left so that any lurking Bitter Cress and Creeping Oxalis can be removed. The tiny Cress shoots its seeds everywhere at the slightest touch, the Oxalis is very deep rooted, difficult to dig up whole - and it creeps.