A Moth Bonanza

After keeping the lights switched off on the moth trap for the past few nights, which was due to the cool, wet and windy conditions, last night I switched them back on as the weather had improved immensely. The wind last night was a light southerly, it was dry and the temperature was up a few degrees.

And didn't the moths know it. Granted a moth bonanza is normally found in July and August when its possible to trap 70+ species, but when the moth numbers have been so low for the past 5 weeks or so, it was good to see 49 moths of 18 species in the trap this morning. For me that was a bonanza!!!

Best of the bunch was a Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina. In addition to the new moth, I also had 4 first for the year moths, which now brings my garden total to 57.

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

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1         Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x8

#2        *Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea x1

#3         Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x1

#4         Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x3

#5         Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x1

#6         Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x6

#7         Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea x3

#8         Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x2

#9         Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x6

#10       Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x4

#11        Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x4

#12       Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x3

#13      *Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis x1

#14      *Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha x1

#15       Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens x1

#16    **Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina x1

#17     *Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata x1

#18      Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha x2

#1 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 Another Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And another Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And one more Light Brown Apple Moth

#1 And last one of a Light Brown Apple Moth, though there were 3 more!!

#2 *Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea

#3 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria. Well half of one!!

#4 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#4 Another Rusty Dot Pearl

#5 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#6 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#6 Another Vine's Rustic

#7 Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea

#7 Another Mallow Seed Moth

#8 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#8 Another Brimstone Moth.

#9 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#9 Another Common Swift

#9 And another Common Swift

#9 And two more Common Swifts

#10 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

#10 Another Treble Lines

#11 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#11 Another Heart & Dart

#11 And another Heart & Dart

#12 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#12 Another Shuttle-shaped Dart

#13 *Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis

#13 Garden Pebble

#14 *Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha

#15 I struggled with this one, but it turns out that it is a worn-ish Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens

#15 Rustic Shoulder-knot

#15 Rustic Shoulder-knot

#16 **Pale Prominent Pterostoma palpina

#16 **Pale Prominent 

#17 *Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata

#18 Ruddy Streak Tachystola acroxantha

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Also in the trap was a beetle, cranefly and a snail.

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis. My first one in the moth trap.

A Common Cranefly Tipula oleracea

And also my first ever Garden Snail Cornu aspersa in the trap as well!!

Back On My Local Patch

It's been awhile, but this afternoon I had a good walk around my local patch. Highlights were many, which was not surprising, as my last walk here was on 12 Feb 26.

The main highlights were 2 Chiffchaffs, in the Sycamores along Old Quarry Lane here, and a male Common Whitethroat singing from the Blackberry bushes in the larger of the two meadows here.

Other highlights were a male Common Blue butterfly, a single Speckled Wood and a pair of Orange-tips. Sadly no photos of the latter.

I came across a couple of moth species with several Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella along Old Quarry Lane and a Common Slender Gracillaria syringella, which is a first for the year.

Birds Recorded:

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Dunnock

Robin

Blackbird

1 Common Whitethroat

2 Chiffchaff

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.

Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:

2 Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines

1 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

My first Common Blue Polyommatus icarus of the year..................

...............This is a male, which I came across in the smaller of the two meadows in Wakeham here.

Moths Recorded:

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

*Common Slender Gracillaria syringella

  Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella

My first Common Slender Gracillaria syringella of the year. I also............

................videoed it constantly moved those antennae about. Well, until it realised I was filming it!!!

And a moth I have already encountered this year, was this Cocksfoot Moth Glyphipterix simpliciella, and there were several about along Old Quarry Lane.

Bees Recorded:

Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica

An Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

A Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Ichneumon Wasp sp

Hoverflies Recorded:

Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

Spring Epistrophe Epistrophe eligans

Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

Spring Epistrophe Epistrophe eligans

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Many unidentified flies

A Sarcophaga sp.

Two more Sarcophaga sps.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

A female Swollen-thighed Beetle Oedemera nobilis

Spiders Recorded:

Black-palp Wolf Spider Pardosa nigriceps

One of my hopes today was to find a Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi in the meadows. Last year I came across two, but today there were none. Maybe it's a bit early for them. Instead I came across this female Black-palp Wolf Spider Pardosa nigriceps carrying a sac of eggs.

Plants:

Common Vetch Vicia sativa

Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum

Herb Robert Geranium robertianum

Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae

Common Vetch Vicia sativa

Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum

In one of the more sheltered spots along my walk I came across this mass of Herb Robert Geranium robertianum...........

This wild flower also goes by a whole host of other names such as Red Robin, Death come quickly, Storksbill, Fox Geranium, Stinking Bob, Squinter-pip, Crow's Foot, or Roberts Geranium Phew!!

Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae

Ted:

Its been awhile since we've done this walk Ted. And it's certainly overgrown.