Only To Be Expected

After a night of heavy rain and where wind speeds reached 50mph, I wasn't expecting to see much in the moth trap this morning. And so it proved to be with just 22 moths of 9 species, and of course not a single micro moth to be seen. 

Key
  *First for year
**New for P&W moth list

2026 Moth List Here.


Moths recorded:

#1   Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x3

#2   Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x1

#3   Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x11

#4   Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata x1

#5   Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x1

#6   Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x1

#7   Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x1

#8   Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x1

#9   White-point Mythimna albipuncta x2

#1 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#1 Another Marbled Minor agg.

#2 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#3 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#3 Another Heart & Dart

#3 And another Heart & Dart

#4 Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata

#5 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#6 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#7 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#8 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

#9 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

(Top left) Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica, (Bottom right) Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta, (Top right) two White-points Mythimna albipuncta, a Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua, and the rest are nine of the eleven Heart & Darts Agrotis exclamationis

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Also in the trap was a hoverfly and a midge.

Vagrant Hoverfly Eupeodes corollae

midge sp.

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Wakeham

Late morning and I came across this Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria "flapping" about on the slabs in the courtyard. After encouraging it onto a bit of cardboard I placed it safely in amongst the Ivy on the Old Vic.

It Might Have..........

.........been a wet and windy night, but the moths still keep coming to moth trap.

Despite the heavy rain last night, there was still a good number of moths in the trap this morning, with 50 moths of 20 species, including three firsts for the year, in the shape of The Flame Axylia putris, Hemlock Yellow Conch Aethes beatricella and Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana.

There was also a new moth for my Port & Wey moth list. This time a Delicate Mythimna vitellina.

What was interesting though, was the reduced numbers of White-points Mythimna albipuncta and Heart & Darts Agrotis exclamationis, plus there wasn't a single Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella or Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta trapped!!

Key
  *First for year
**New for P&W moth list

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1     *The Flame Axylia putris x1

#2       Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea x2

#3       Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens x1

#4       Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata x1

#5      *Hemlock Yellow Conch Aethes beatricella x1

#6       White-point Mythimna albipuncta x5

#7       Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana x2

#8       Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x7

#9      *Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana x2

#10      L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album x1

#11      Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x10

#12      Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella x1

#13      Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba x5

#14      Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x3

#15      Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x1

#16    **The Delicate Mythimna vitellina x1

#17       Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x1

#18       Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x1

#19       Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x3

#20       Barred Marble Celypha striana x1

#1 *The Flame Axylia putris

#2 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea

#3 Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens

#4 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata 

#5 *Hemlock Yellow Conch Aethes beatricella aka Broad-barred Straw

#6 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#6 Another White-point

#7 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana

#8 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#8 Another Vine's Rustic

#8 And another Vine's Rustic

#9 *Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana 

#9 Another *Tree-mallow Tortrix

#10 L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album

#11 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#11 Another Heart & Dart 

#11 And another Heart & Dart 

#12 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella

#13 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#13 Another Large Yellow Underwing

#14 A Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. with another Vine's Rustic

#15 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#16 **The Delicate Mythimna vitellina

#17 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#18 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#19 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

#19 Another Treble Lines

#19 And another Treble Lines

#20 Barred Marble Celypha striana 

More on:

#16 **The Delicate Mythimna vitellina UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

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Also in the trap was a hoverfly, a wasp and a cranefly

Spotted Thintail Meliscaeva auricollis aka Spotted Meliscaeva

Parasitoid wasp Phygadeuontinae sp.

Parasitoid wasp Phygadeuontinae sp.

A Wing-band Tiger Nephrotoma quadrifaria aka Four-spotted Cranefly.

And The Point Is....

......15 White-point moths Mythimna albipuncta in the trap this morning. Where there has just been a few White-points, there now seems to be a bit of a "boom".

Similarly there were also increased numbers of both Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis and Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta.

So this morning there were119+ moths of 22 species, including 2 new moths for my Port & Wey moth list and 2 new for year.

Key
  *First for year
**New for P&W moth list

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1       White-point Mythimna albipuncta x15
#2    **Orange Footman Eilema sororcula x1

#3       Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata x3

#4     **Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata x1

#5       Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua x1

#6      *L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album x1

#7       Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata x1

#8       Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x3

#9       Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana x2

#10    *Barred Marble Celypha striana x1

#11      Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba x3

#12      Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x13

#13      Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x12

#14      Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x2

#15      Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x2

#16      Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella x1

#17      Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x1

#18      Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella x50+

#19      Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea x2

#20      Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x1

#21      Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x1

#22      Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x2

#1 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#1 Another White-point

#1 And another White-point

#2 My first ever **Orange Footman Eilema sororcula. Just a shame it's a dreadful photo, especially as this is a not so common moth on Portland

#3 Garden Carpet Xanthorhoe fluctuata

#3 Another Garden Carpet with a White-point behind.

#4 **Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata 

#5 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua

#6 *L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album

#7 Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata

#8 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#8 Another Willow Beauty

#8 And another Willow Beauty

#9 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana 

#9 Another Black-headed Conch

#10 *Barred Marble Celypha striana

#11 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#11 Another Large Yellow Underwing

#12 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#12 Another Heart & Dart

#12 And another Heart & Dart with White-points either side.

#13 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#13Another Shuttle-shaped Dart

#14 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#14 Another Marbled Minor agg. 

#15 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#15 Another Vine's Rustic 

#16 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella

#17 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#18 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella

#18 Diamond-back Moth

#19 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea

#19 Another Narrow-winged Grey

#20 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#21 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#22 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

More on:

#2 Orange Footman Eilema sororcula UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

#4 Lesser Cream Wave Scopula immutata UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

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Also in the trap was a Harvester.

This the larvae/nymph of the Red Harvestman........

...........Opilio canestrinii. It is also known as the Canestrini's Harvestman