Well I Enjoyed That

Well after letting the moths have a break since I had the trap out on the 10 Jun 26, I put it out again last night. This time it was placed in the middle of the garden, and boy what a difference it made from having it in the shelter.

I can only estimate the numbers of moths, as there were a good hundred or so, with Heart & Darts once once again dominating the trap. As I said it's only an estimate, as many flew off as soon as I opened the trap, with dozens of others packed inside the egg cartons. There were quite easily 50+, with the bulk being mainly the darker form, indicating that there were more males than the lighter form of the females.

In total there were 115+ moths of 27 species, with 10 firsts for the year and a possible lifer!!

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

2026 Moth List Here.

Moths recorded:

#1     **Pug sp. x1

#2       *Codling Moth Cydia pomonella x2

#3        Ephestia sp. x1

#4        Blushed Knot-horn Ephestia woodiella x1

#5       *Bee Moth Aphomia sociella x1

#6        Grapholita funebrana x1

#7       *Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana x1

#8       *Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella  x3

#9         Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba x11

#10     *Madder Pearl Mecyna asinalis x2

#11       Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens x6

#12       Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua x3

#13       Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea x4

#14       Mottled Rustic Caradrina morpheus x6

#15     *Small Blood-vein Scopula imitaria x2

#16       Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana x2

#17     *Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura x2

#18       Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata x1

#19     *Small Grey Eudonia mercurella x1

#20       Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis x50+

#21       Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus x2

#22       Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha x6

#23     *The Spectacle Abrostola tripartita x1

#24     *The Lackey Malacosoma neustria x2

#25       Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea x1

#26       Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria x1

#27       Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla x1

#1      **Pug sp. The app Obsidentify gives it 100% as a Bordered Pug Eupithecia succenturiata 70.188 BF1839..........

.....If so it would be a lifer for me. However I'm not sure the photographs are good enough for ID'ing by the experts. I will ask though.

#2 *Codling Moth Cydia pomonella

#2 Another Codling Moth

#4 Blushed Knot-horn Ephestia woodiella. aka False Cacao Moth

#5 *Bee Moth Aphomia sociella

#7 *Plum Fruit Moth Grapholita funebrana

#8 *Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

#8 Another Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

#8 And another Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella

#9 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#9 Another Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

#10 *Madder Pearl Mecyna asinalis

#11 Common Wainscot Mythimna pallens

#12 Vine's Rustic Hoplodrina ambigua

#13 Bright-line Brown-eye Lacanobia oleracea 

#14 Mottled Rustic Caradrina morpheus

#15 *Small Blood-vein Scopula imitaria

#16 Black-headed Conch Cochylis atricapitana 

#17 *Smoky Wainscot Mythimna impura

#18 Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata

#19 *Small Grey Eudonia mercurella

#20 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis. Light form - female

#20 Heart & Dart Agrotis exclamationis. Dark form - male

#21 Small Elephant Hawk-moths Deilephila porcellus

#21 Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus

#22 Dark Arches Apamea monoglypha

#23  *The Spectacle Abrostola tripartita 

#24 *The Lackey Malacosoma neustria

#24 Another The Lackey Malacosoma neustria

#25 Buff Ermine Spilosoma lutea 

#26 Portland Ribbon Wave Idaea degeneraria

#27 Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla

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

Below are just a few of the moths trapped this morning

A Maiden Visit

With Ted being pampered in the groom room in Dorchester, I decided to visit Maiden Castle, which was just a 10 minute drive away. Having parked up here, I then had 2 hours to wander around the hill to see what was about, before picking Ted up.

The first highlight was my first Corn Bunting of the year, singing on the car park fence. What a great start, in fact there were at least 4 more singing males along my walk.

The Iron Age Fort at Maiden Castle Here.

A panoramic view from Maiden Castle

Birds Recorded:

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Swallow

Blackbird

4 Common Whitethroat

Wren

Rook

Carrion Crow

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Goldfinch

6 Corn Bunting

A male Common Whitethroat singing from the hedgerow.

An interesting sight was watching this female House Sparrow gathering caterpillars in the grass alongside...

.....the path I was walking just here. (In the image above this would have been down from the lone bush on the left). It is pretty unusual to find them in this type of environment, but wherever the youngsters were, they were being well fed. I have occasionally found House Sparrow nests in large Hawthorn bushes and there were a few trees and shrubs further up the hill. However I got the feeling this female House Sparrow was either feeding youngsters that had fledged or remarkably she had a nest on the ground close-by. I just wish now I'd stayed a little longer to find out what was going on.

A rather stunning looking male Linnet.

My first Corn Bunting of the year, singing from the car park fence.

And another Corn Bunting...........

.............which managed to hang onto the fence, in gale force conditions, and then sing a few notes as well.

Moths Recorded:

1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana

1 Dichrorampha sp.

A Common Marble Celypha lacunana

Dichrorampha sp.

Caterpillars Recorded:

100+ Peacock  Aglais io

On this Common Nettle Urtica dioica is the.....................

.........caterpillar of the Peacock butterfly. And.............

.................here are many more smaller ones.

Bees Recorded:

Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius

Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

A worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on the flower of a Bramble Rubus fruticosus. Also visible are the mauve flowers of Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara.

And another worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on also on a Bramble flower.

This is a Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum

Hoverflies Recorded:

50+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

And another Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus in flight.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Many unidentified flies

Broad Centurian Chloromyia formosa

Long-legged fly Dolichopodidae sp.

Tan Dance Fly Empis livida

Dagger Fly Empis tessellata

Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens

Fungus Gnat Mycetophila cingulum

Yellow Swarming Fly Thaumatomyia notata

A Broad Centurian Chloromyia formosa settled on the leaf of a Common Nettle Urtica dioica

Long-legged fly Dolichopodidae sp.

A Tan Dance Fly Empis livida

Dagger Fly Empis tessellata

A female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria

A very colourful and neatly patterned Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens

This is a male Fungus Gnat Mycetophila cingulum

And this very small black and yellow fly is....................

.............a Yellow Swarming Fly Thaumatomyia notata

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

2 Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus

2 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis larva

An Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus

Another Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus

Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - larva

Slugs and Snails Recorded:

Black Slug Arion ater agg

White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis

Given that there had been a fair bit of rain, before I arrived at Maiden Castle, it wasn't that much of a surprise to find both slugs and snails out in force. This is one of many Black Slugs Arion ater agg I found on the tracks.

A White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis

Another White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis

Plants:

Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis

Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Elder Sambucus nigra

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Blackthorn Prunus spinosa

Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara

Common Nettle Urtica dioica

Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium

Bramble Rubus fruticosus

Red Campion Silene dioica

Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica

Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor

In amongst the Common Nettles Urtica dioica are the pink and white flowers.................

.............of the Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium.

And in amongst the Brambles Rubus fruticosus and Cocksfoot grass Dactylis glomerata........

.................there was Red Campion Silene dioica

And in the hedgerow I found this...............

.............appropriately named plant, Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica

Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus

Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor

General shots:

To the west of the hill here was this hedgerow, which was an absolute blessing, as it provided me shelter from the gale force winds, plus there was plenty of invertebrates and plants to record.

Looking east towards Maiden Castle from my viewpoint here.