My First Hawk-moth This Year.

With daytime temperatures in the high teens on Portland, I decided to place the moth trap further down the garden in a more open area surrounded by the Cherry Tree, Buddleia and a lots of garden plants. And boy did it pay off with some interesting moths, which you can see below. In total I had 64 moths of 29 species, which included 7 new moths for my Port & Wey moth list.

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

2026 Moth List Here.
P&W Moths now stands at: 273


Moths recorded:

#1        Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana x5

#2        Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea x4

#3     **Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria x4

#4        Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella x3

#5        Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata x1

#6        Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella x5

#7       *Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana x2

#8        Valerian Pug Eupithecia valerianata x1

#9        Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x4

#10    **Pallid Grey Eudonia pallida x3

#11       Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina x5

#12       Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x3

#13      *Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba x1

#14    **Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella x1

#15       Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta x3 

#16       Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua x1

#17       Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana x2

#18    **Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica x1

#19    **Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi x1

#20     *Common Daisy Moth Dichrorampha acuminatana x1

#21      Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata x1

#22      Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria x4

#23      Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica x1

#24    **Daisy Tuft Bucculatrix nigricomella x1

#25       White-point Mythimna albipuncta x1

#26      *Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana x1

#27       Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis x2

#28    **Brown Rustic Rusina ferruginea x1

#29       Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica x1

#1 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana

#1 Another Light Brown Apple Moth

#2 Mallow Seed Moth Platyedra subcinerea

#2 Another Mallow Seed Moth

#3 **Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria

#3 Another **Portland Ribbon Wave

#4 Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella 

#4 Diamond-back Moth

#5 Brimstone Moth Opisthograptis luteolata

#6 Yellow-faced Bell Notocelia cynosbatella

#7 *Ox-tongue Conch Neocochylis molliculana. AKA Tawny-fronted Straw. This moth was first discovered in Britain at Portland in 1993.

#8 A Valerian Pug Eupithecia valerianata.

#9 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#10 **Pallid Grey Eudonia pallida

#11 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina

#11 Another Common Swift

#12 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis

#13 *Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba 

#14  **Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella

#14  **Oak Knot-horn

#14  **Oak Knot-horn

#14  **Oak Knot-horn

#15 Shuttle-shaped Dart Agrotis puta

#16 Small Mottled Willow Spodoptera exigua AKA Beet Armyworm

#17 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana

#18  **Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica

#18  **Striped Hawk-moth

#19 **Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi

#19 **Fox Moth

#20 *Common Daisy Moth Dichrorampha acuminatana AKA Sharp-winged Drill

#21 Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata

#22 Willow Beauty Peribatodes rhomboidaria

#22 Another Willow Beauty

#22 And another Willow Beauty

#23 Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica

#24  **Daisy Tuft Bucculatrix nigricomella 

#25 White-point Mythimna albipuncta

#26 *Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana

#26 *Dark-barred Tortrix

#27 Rusty Dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis

#27 Another Rusty Dot Pearl

#28  **Brown Rustic Rusina ferruginea 

#29 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica

More on:

#3     Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria here and some very interesting facts here
#10   Pallid Grey Eudonia pallida here and here.
#14   Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella here and here.
#18   Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica here and here.
#19   Fox Moth Macrothylacia rubi here and here.
#24   Daisy Tuft Bucculatrix nigricomella here and here.
#28   Brown Rustic Rusina ferruginea here and here.

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Also in the trap was a spider, ladybird, ant and eggs!!

Lesser Garden Spider Metellina mengei

Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis form - succinea

An ant sp.

Possibly eggs!!

Swarming Bees

Today, I had a knock at the door, and my neighbour was stood there with a bit of an alarmed look. Transpired she had to escape her back garden, via the rear gate, as a swarm of bees had appeared between her and the back door to her house.

I had a quick look and as I thought, it was a swarm of Honey Bees Apis mellifera, which had landed in a Pyracantha Pyracantha sp.. I rang a local Bee Keeper using this very useful website here, and because of the swarms location, deep inside the Pyracantha, it was decided that we would leave it for 24 hours, as there was every possibility they would move on.

And sure enough they did leave and fairly smartish, and within an hour of landing in the hedgerow they were up and away heading south over several gardens in the neighbourhood.

Below are a few photos and videos of the swarm in the Pyracantha and heading off down the neighbouring gardens.

A swarm of Honey Bees Apis mellifera in my neighbours Pyracantha Pyracantha sp.

A close-up of the swarm

A short video of the swarm

Slow-motion

And the swarm leaving my neighbours garden

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

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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!!