Butterflies Galore

Today Ted and I had a walk along the old Tram Line to Tout Quarry, a walk we did here in August last year. And as it was like last August, there were quite a few butterflies about, with the pick of the bunch being a stunning Adonis Blue and a Clouded Yellow which as per usual just carried on flying down the track.

Other highlights were 4 Hummingbird Hawk-moths, flying up and down the old track, and occasionally stopping off at flowering Buddleia.

Oddly enough though, I didn't see a single bee or many other insects. Perhaps it was just a bit too windy!!

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

1 Swallow

1 Common Whitethroat

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Linnet

Butterflies Recorded:
7+ Large White Pieris brassicae
3 Small White Pieris rapae
1 Clouded Yellow Colias croceus
1 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
1 Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

1 Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus
12+ Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
1 Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus

Small White Pieris rapae

A well camouflaged Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina. Surprisingly this was the only one I found.

A real stunner of a Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

Hmm a very worn "blue". Hard to say what it is, possibly a Common Blue Polyommatus icarus. So it will just remain as a Polyommatus sp.

The underside of a male a Common Blue Polyommatus icarus

A male Common Blue Polyommatus icarus which is looking quite smart.

And this male Common Blue is an absolute stunner.  It is so blue you would be forgiven for thinking it was an Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus...................

...................And as luck would have it, just a few feet away was a male Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus.

And here is the underside.

Moths Recorded:
4 Hummingbird Hawk-moths Macroglossum stellatarum

Below are a few shots of one of the four Hummingbird Hawkmoths seen this afternoon.

Bees Recorded:

None. Most odd!!

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Mossy Rose Gall Wasp Dipoloepis rosaea

Robin's Pincushions on a Dog Rose  Rosa canina. These are the galls caused by the larvae of a tiny gall wasp, Dipoloepis rosaea. More on this Here. 

Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Dronefly Eristalis sp.

On this Herb Bennet Geum urbanum is either a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax or a Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax. Unfortunately it didn't stay long enough for me to get a good ID.

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

Common Green Bottle Fly Lucilia sericata

A Common Green Bottle Fly Lucilia sericata

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
None

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
2 unidentified grasshoppers

Spiders Recorded:
None

Plants:
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Also known as Sloe
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp.
Dog Rose Rosa canina
Domestic Apples Malus domestica

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum

Herb Bennet Geum urbanum
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Ivy Hedera helix
Red Valerian Centranthus ruber
Wayfaring-tree Viburnum lantana
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba

Blackberries on Bramble Rubus fruticosusa

The rose hips of the Dog Rose Rosa canina. More on Dog Rose here.

Domestic Apples Malus domestica - Feral

Domestic Apples

Hawthorn berries Crataegus monogyna

Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum AKA 'Raspberries and Cream'

Dead centre, the toxic/mildly poisonous berries of the Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, which if eaten would definitely cause stomach upset. However directly behind them are Blackberries Rubus fruticosusa which are great for your daily vitamin C intake, and a rich supply of vitamins K and E, manganese, and powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins. More on Honeysuckle here and Blackberries here.

Red Valerian Centranthus ruber

The seeds of the Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba AKA Travellers’ Joy and Old Man’s Beard.

General Shots:

Rain on the way.

Ted:

Ted leading the way along the old Tram Track

More Mothing

I seem to be doing more mothing than anything else at the moment. The blog is called Home and Away, and it's all home at the moment. I will venture out one of these days.

In the meantime, the moth trap went out last night, and this morning revealed fewer moths than of late. However despite the low numbers, I'm still ticking off lifers and the occasional "First for the year" moths.

So the numbers this morning were 124 moths of 46 species.

  *First for year
**Lifers

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1       Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria x1

#2       Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata x1

#3       Toadflax Pug Eupithecia linariata x1

#4    **Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata x1

#5       Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata x2

#6    **Rolled Grass-moth Pediasia contaminella x2

#7       Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x1

#8     *Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella x2

#9       Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x4

#10     Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella x9

#11     Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria x3

#12     Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x4

#13   *Caloptilia sp. x1

#14  **White-fronted Straw Neocochylis hybridella x1

#15     Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella x5

#16     Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea x6

#17     Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua x9

#18     Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe x6

#19     Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana x1

#20     L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album x1

#21     White-point Mythimna albipuncta x3

#22     Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x10

#23   *Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella x1

#24     Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana x1

#25     Moth sp. x1

#26     Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x7

#27     Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa x4

#28   *Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis x1

#29     Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum x2

#30     Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x8

#31     Silver Y Autographa gamma x2

#32   *Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea x1

#33  **Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella x1

#34   *Elbow-striped Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea x1

#35     Common Daisy Moth Dichrorampha acuminatana x1

#36   *Orange Swift Triodia sylvina x2

#37     Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon x1

#38     Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata x1

#39     Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella x4

#40     Barred Marble Celypha striana x1

#41     Marbled Green Nyctobrya muralis x1

#42     Starry Pearl Cynaeda dentalis x1

#43     Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea x1

#44     Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria x1

#45     Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens x2

#46   *Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum x1

#1 Light Emerald Campaea margaritaria

#1 Light Emerald

#2 Lime-speck Pug Eupithecia centaureata

#3 Toadflax Pug Eupithecia linariata

#4 **Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata 

#5 Small Dusty Wave Idaea seriata

#6 **Rolled Grass-moth Pediasia contaminella

#7 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#7 Brimstone Moth

#8 *Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella

#9 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#10 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

#10 Another Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

#11 Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria

#11 Another Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria

#12 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#13 *Caloptilia sp.

#14 **White-fronted Straw Neocochylis hybridella. aka White-bodied Conch

#15 Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella

#16 Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea 

#17 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua aka Beet Armyworm

#18 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe

#18 Another Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe

#18 And another Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing Noctua janthe

#19 Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana

#20 L-album Wainscot Mythimna l-album

#21 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#21 Another White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#22 Top - Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta. Below -  #10 Another Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella and far left #23 *Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella.

#22 Another Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#23 *Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella

#23 Apple Leaf Miner

#24 Marbled Piercer Cydia splendana

#25 Centre - Moth sp. and Right #17 - Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua

#26 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis 

#27 Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#27 Another Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

#28 *Pale Mottled Willow Caradrina clavipalpis

#29 Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum

#29 Another Setaceous Hebrew Character Xestia c-nigrum

#30 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 

#30 Another Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 

#30 And another Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 

#30 And one more Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua 

#31 Silver Y Autographa gamma 

#31 Another Silver Y Autographa gamma 

#32 *Feathered Ranunculus Polymixis lichenea

#32 Feathered Ranunculus

#33 **Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella 

#34 *Elbow-striped Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea aka Chevron Grass-moth

#34 Another Elbow-striped Grass-veneer Agriphila geniculea

#35 Common Daisy Moth Dichrorampha acuminatana

#36 *Orange Swift Triodia sylvina

#36 Another Orange Swift Triodia sylvina

#36 Orange Swift

#37 Dark Sword-grass Agrotis ipsilon

#38 Mullein Wave Scopula marginepunctata

#39 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella

#40 Barred Marble Celypha striana

#41 Marbled Green Nyctobrya muralis

#42 Starry Pearl Cynaeda dentalis

#42 Starry Pearl

#43 Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea

#43 Buff Ermine

#44 Scalloped Oak Crocallis elinguaria

#44 Scalloped Oak

#45 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens

#46 *Hummingbird Hawk-moth Macroglossum stellatarum, spotted in the garden as I was returning indoors from logging the moths in the trap. Also noted were my first Yellow Wagtails of the year as three birds flew south over Wakeham.

More on:

#4    Wormwood Pug Eupithecia absinthiata UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

#6    Rolled Grass-moth Pediasia contaminella UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

#14  White-fronted Straw Neocochylis hybridella UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

#33  Cacao Moth Ephestia elutella UK Moths here and Dorset Moths here.

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Also in the trap were 3 wasps, a beetle and 2 lacewings.

Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Ichneumon wasp Netelia sp.

Parasitoid wasp Braconidae sp.

Ground Beetle Ophonus ardosiacus. It doesn't have a common name, but in Holland it is called the Grote blauwe halmklimmer, which translate into English as Large Blue Runner.

Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea

Another Common Green Lacewing Chrysoperla carnea