Austen Moths

I'm not quite sure why I put the moth trap out during a storm. But I did, and with Storm Austen producing gusts of 75mph at Portland Bill, it was a bit of a gamble that I didn't lose the moth trap during the night.

So it was good to see that the lights were still glowing in the morning rain and that there were a few moths and lots of "micro-flies" taking shelter in the trap.

The numbers. Well there were 18 moths of 7 species, and unsurprisingly no firsts for the year or lifers. That would have been asking a lot!!

  *First for year
**Lifers

2026 Moth List Here.


Moths recorded:

#1   Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana x1

#2   Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x1

#3   Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x3

#4   Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea x8

#5   Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum x1
#6   Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea x3
#7   Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis x1

#1 Tree-mallow Tortrix Crocidosema plebejana

#2 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#3 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#3 Another Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#4 Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#4 Another Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#4 And another Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#5 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum

#6 Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea 

#6 Another Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea 

#6 And another Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea 

#7 Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis 

#7 As above but up close. Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis 

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Also in the trap were many small flies, a plant bug and a bee.

A Black fly Simulium angustitarse. AKA Buffalo Gnat

A Sap fly Minettia inusta

Having used three different ID apps, the consensus was, that this is most likely to be a Nymphalid parasite fly Sturmia bella. However other suggestions were Lypha dubia and Panzeria anthophila.

This is the Plant Bug Pinalitus cervinus

Now I'm not saying it is, but this could well be a Hairy Yellow-face Bee Hylaeus hyalinatus. This species has been found at the Portland end of Chesil Beach in the past, and given the strength of the winds last night, this species could well have ended up in my back garden.

Now this species is normally found between July and September, but then we have had some extreme weather. The only other Hylaeus that could possibly be seen at this time of year is the Shingle Yellow-face Bee Hylaeus annularis. However this species flight time ends at the end of August, so highly unlikely.

A Much Cooler Night

With temperatures, just below double figures for the first time this Autumn at 9.0°C, it was a bit of a shock to the system, especially when I ventured out to the moth trap early this morning. But what a surprise I got with over 60 Feathered Ranunculus and a dozen Flame Brocade and 14 Lunar Underwings.

Here are the exact numbers. There were 113 moths of 12 species, including 1 first for the year and a lifer.

  *First for year

**Lifers

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1        Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x6

#2        Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea x65

#3        Lunar Underwing Anchoscelis lunosa x14

#4        Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes x3

#5        Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea x12

#6    **Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata x1

#7        Black Rustic Aporophyla nigra x5

#8        Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum x2

#9        The Mallow Larentia clavaria x1

#10      Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella x1

#11    *Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis x2

#12      Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea x1

#1 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 Another Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 And another Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 One more Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#2 Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea 

#2 Another Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea 

#3 Lunar Underwing Anchoscelis lunosa

#3 Another Lunar Underwing Anchoscelis lunosa

#3 And another Lunar Underwing Anchoscelis lunosa

#3 One more Lunar Underwing Anchoscelis lunosa

#4 Lesser Yellow Underwing Noctua comes

#5 Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#5 Another Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#5 And another Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#5 One more Flame Brocade Trigonophora flammea

#6 **Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata 

#7 Black Rustic Aporophyla nigra

#7 Another Black Rustic Aporophyla nigra

#8 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum

#9 The Mallow Larentia clavaria

#10 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

#11 *Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis

#11 Another *Beaded Chestnut Agrochola lychnidis

#12 Narrow-winged Grey Eudonia angustea

More on:

#6 Red-green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata  UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

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Also in the trap was a cockroach again.

A Tawny Cockroach Ectobius lapponicus....

............a frequent visitor to the moth trap.

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NOTE

Here

Are a few photos and videos from a trip to Ibiza - 24 Sep to 1 Oct

Lodmoor RSPB Reserve

Having dropped Ted off at the Groom Room in Dorchester, I headed back to Lodmoor RSPB Reserve in Weymouth, for a long overdue visit there. In fact looking back at my diary, my last visit here was on the 30 Mar 25. That is extraordinary, was it really that long ago!!

With 90 minutes in hand and the weather looking great, I headed off around the reserve. What was noticeable was the large number of wasps about, especially on the flowering Ivy, plus one of my favourite bees the Ivy Bee.

Birds Recorded:
Cormorant

2 Great White Egret

6 Little Egret

5 Grey Heron

Canada Goose

Mallard

Gadwall

Wigeon

Teal

Shoveler

Moorhen

370+ Golden Plover

50+ Lapwing

2 Snipe

10+ Black-tailed Godwit

1 Redshank

1 Common Sandpiper

Black-headed Gull

Mediterranean Gull

Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

4 Sandwich Tern

Wood Pigeon

2 Yellow Wagtail

Dunnock

Robin

Blackbird

Song Thrush

Cetti's Warbler

1 Blackcap

5+ Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Wren

1 Jay

Magpie

Rook

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

40+ Starling

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Reed Bunting

43 species recorded with 7 firsts for the year.

Adult Cormorants with a few juveniles in amongst them.

They might be distant.............

...............but these Great White Egrets stand out a mile away. A Grey Heron on the right keeps his head down.

And a short video of one of the Great White Egrets.

A Little Egret

And another Little Egret fishing in the shallows.

This Little Egret is.................

................having a good old preen.

This Little Egret was really close to the path in the West Scrape.

Canada Geese stretching their wings.

Wigeon

Sat in amongst three Teal are two drake Shovelers.

Another drake Shoveler. Where were the ducks!!

A few photos........

.............of the...........

...........370+ Golden Plovers on the reserve.

A very distant shot of a Snipe. In the winter there can be hundreds on the reserve and often very close to the paths.

A Black-tailed Godwit feeding close............

..................in to the path on the West Scrapes.

A record shot of my first Redshank of the year. It did........

.............come a little closer.

Mediterranean Gulls

A juvenile Sandwich Tern..............

................... One of four seen on the reserve whilst I was walking around.

Here are the other three Sandwich Terns in amongst the Winter plumaged Black-headed Gulls.

Fish Recorded:
Mullet sp.

There were dozens of Mullet in the shallows


Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
3 Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum

A male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum munching on a fly it's just caught.

Butterflies Recorded:
4 Large White Pieris brassicae
2 Small White Pieris rapae

1 Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

A Small White Pieris rapae on Sea Aster Aster tripolium.

A tatty Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Ivy Bee Colletes hederae

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera also on Sea Aster Aster tripolium

Have I ever mentioned that this is one of my favourite bees. It is of course an Ivy Bee Colletes hederae. This seasonal bee was first seen in the British Isles in Dorset in 2001, having arrived from continental Europe. For me this is a real stunner of a bee and a species that is solely dependent on Ivy flowers and is the reason why it can only be seen between September and the end of October/early November, depending on the amount of Ivy still in flower.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
German Wasp Vespula germanica

A German Wasp Vespula germanica stripping the bark of one of the fence posts.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies


Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
2 Long Winged Cone-head Conocephalus fuscus

This is a female Long Winged Cone-head Conocephalus fuscus. Told apart from the Short-winged Cone-head Conocephalus dorsalis by its straighter ovipositor. On the Short-winged the ovipositor is more upward curving.

The same Long Winged Cone-head minus the long antennae which I have cropped out.

A bit further down the track was another Long Winged Cone-head

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Garden Snail Cornu aspersa


Plants:
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Hops Humulus lupulus
Ivy Hedera helix
Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica
Sea Aster Aster tripolium
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba

Well this Summers extreme temperatures, certainly hasn't effected this years bumper harvest of Hawthorn Berries.

Every year without fail, these Hops Humulus lupulus keep appearing at this time of year in their favourite spot close to the beach road here. More on this Hops here.