Home and Away: Hot Weather And Cool Moths

This mornings check on the moth trap was an incredible sight, with hundreds of micro-moths in and outside the trap. Most were Diamond-back Moths Plutella xylostella, with an estimated 150+.

There were also plenty of larger moths, also in and around the trap with 4 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda, 20 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg., 13 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta, 15 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis, 4 *Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica, and 1 *Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus to name but a few.

In total there were 261+ moths of 26 species, including a moth sp., a new moth for my P&W moth list and 6 firsts for the year.

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

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

It was nigh impossible to get an accurate count, as many moths took off as soon as I opened up the trap. So numbers are best guess for a majority of the species.

#1 *Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus x1

#2 Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria x4

#3 *Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata x1

#4 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana x5

#5 White-point Mythimna albipuncta x1

#6 **Shore Marble Lobesia littoralis x1

#7 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg. x20

#8 Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata x1

#9 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella x150+

#10 *Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica x4

#11 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda x4

#12 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua x12

#13 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x13

#14 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x4

#15 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x3

#16 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x15

#17 *Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata x1

#18 *Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella x2

#19 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x6

#20 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella x3

#21 *Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata x1

#22 **Paraswammerdamia/Swammerdamia sp. x1

#23 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x1

#24 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x5

#25 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum x2

#1 *Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus

#1 *Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus (Slow-motion with no sound)

#2 Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria

#3 *Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata

#4 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana

#5 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#6 **Shore Marble Lobesia littoralis

#6 **Shore Marble

#7 Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#7 Another Marbled Minor agg. Oligia strigilis agg.

#8 Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata

#9 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella

#10 *Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica

#10 Another *Cream-spot Tiger Arctia villica

#11 Pale Tussock Calliteara pudibunda

#11 Another Pale Tussock

#11 And another Pale Tussock

#11 And one more Pale Tussock

#11 Pale Tussock

#11 Pale Tussock taking off.

#12 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua

#12 Another Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua

#13 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#14 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

#15 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#16 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#16 Another Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#17 *Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata

#18 *Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

#18 Another *Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

#19 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#19 Another Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#20 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella

#21 *Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata

#22 **Paraswammerdamia/Swammerdamia sp.

#23 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#24 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#25 Turnip Moth Agrotis segetum

More on:

#6 **Shore Marble Lobesia littoralis here and here.

#22 **Paraswammerdamia/Swammerdamia sp. here.

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Also in the trap was an ichneumon wasp, ladybirds, a barkfly and and 2 midges.

The common name for this ichneumon wasp Enicospilus ramidulus is the Nocturnal Ichneumon Wasp, as these wasps are most often observed around lights at night.