Some other possibilities:

- Aporophyla lutulenta (deep brown dart) - but the flight period is wrong (Aug-Oct)

- Euxoa tritici (white-line dart) - right flight period, but the markings are not quite right (but they are variable)

- Euxoa nigricans (garden dart) - flight period just about OK - worth finding more photos to compare

- Polia bombycina (pale shining brown) - flight period OK- ditto

But in none of those are the patterns quite right.

When making comparisons, you need to look at many specimens from each species, because many species are quite variable.

John: You probably know where you found the moth; that might help limit the possibilities. You could ask your local wildlife trust, but first see if there is a local moths group online. For isntance, here's a distribution map for garden dart in Northamptonshire - http://www.northamptonshirewildlife.co.uk/nmoths/2082.htm.

Nat.Hist.Museum forum staff: I'm just giving pointers here, not answers; by all means reject my suggestions if you find the answer.

Stuart,

That's a brilliant call on a decidely tricky subject!

John,

You can see some of the variation here

- http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Oligia_Strigilis

Mike

Sara,

I'm not sure what you'r referring to.

I see the folds and knobbliness of the bark (an apple tree, by the looks), and the moths' brown eye...

Mike