This prettily marked small moth is also a new catch. The Small Phoenix has two generations in the spring and the summer, its caterpillars eating willowherbs. Where else would you expect to find a phoenix than in a clump of fireweed?
It took me a while to identify this moth, as it doesn’t get a mention on most of the moth sites that I use for identification, seeing as its distribution is very limited in UK. Silver Cloud (Egira conspicillaris, #855) is a spring flying moth which is widespread in Europe, but for some reason only occurs in UK around the Bristol Channel and Severn Valley north to about Birmingham. A nice catch this weekend.
A good haul of moths last night, including a Poplar Hawk Moth and four new moth species; Alder Moth (#848), Scalloped Hazel (#849), Swallow Prominent (#850) and Treble-bar (#851), all in and around the light trap. Also a couple of Common Cockchafers.
It was a pretty meagre catch of moths last night, despite the warm weather; never seem to do that well when there’s a clear sky and full moon. But out of only 6 moths, 3 of them were 2 new species. Two rather handsome purple-tinged Streamers and a Water Carpet all on the wall by the trap. Both are species only present in April-May.
As it was a warmer evening, I put out the moth trap. There wasn’t many moths in it this morning - maybe it was too clear overnight - but there were two new species: Shoulder Stripe and March Moth. All Spring moths during a period last year where whether prevented me doing much much trapping.
A first excursion of the year for my moth trap, resulted in a small catch of four different species. It might have been more if I hadn’t forgotten to put egg boxes in the trap - too much of a rush to get back to the rugby. Anyhow as well as three species I first caught last Match, there was this Dotted Border moth (Agriopis marginaria, #835) - yes, there are still plenty of new moths to see in 2022!
Sunday was the nicest day of the year so far, weather-wise, with the first solitary bees around. This Double-Striped Pug moth (Gymnoscelis rufifasciata) was resting on the fence. Time to get my moth trap out of the cupboard and see what else is around! Happy it’s (just about) Spring…
This moth had somehow got its way into the brown bin along with all the garden composting waste. The Angle Shades has two generations, the Autumn one from August to November being the larger. It’s a nicely marked moth; I hadn’t noticed previously the way it turns up the outside edges of its wingtips to look more like a leaf.
#739 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)
Nearly missed this one, which would have been a bit of a tragedy; but happily I went for another check around the area where I set up my moth trap last night and found this beautiful Merveille du Jour perched in plain sight on the wall. This species has a shortish flight period in Sept-Oct, when it feeds on ivy flowers.
#830 Merveille du Jour (Griposia aprilina)
There was not a lot in the moth trap this morning, so it was a pleasant surprise to get 4 new garden species. The Box Tree Moth is a recent immigrant from South-East Asia that only arrived (presumably from imported plants) in UK in 2007 and is spreading pretty fast across the country - it is bad news if you have a box hedge as its caterpillars will eat all the leaves. Green-brindled Crescent and Canary-shouldered Thorn are both rather attractive native species with a single generation in the Autumn. The large and delicately marked caddisfly Halesus radiatus was also a welcome addition to the list.
It was a soggy moth trap this morning, as some quite heavy rain fell early in the morning. As a result there were not too many moths around, but Lunar Underwing and Pale Mottled Willow are both typical of the season. The small pale one, and only new species this morning, is a Vestal (Rhodometra sacraria, #824). This moth is a migrant from the continent which turns up late summer and autumn in varying numbers, but doesn’t survive in UK and become a resident.
Here are two new moths caught over the weekend, both species found only in the late summer/early Autumn. The Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea) and very similar Svenssons Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera) are distinguishable by the marking on the hind wing, but as I didn’t check it this one could be either - I’ll know for next time. Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago) is found with Ash trees, in one generation in August-September.
A nice collection of moths on Saturday morning, including two new species: Gold Spot (Plusia festucae) and Flounced Rustic (Luperina testacea). The gold-coloured marks on the Gold Spot do look distinctly metallic.
This funny-looking green caterpillar dropped out of the willow tree and landed on one of the kids. I believe it is the caterpillar of a Pale Tussock moth (Calliteara pudibunda), but motionless and scrunched up it looks more like a prickly plant seed of some sort.
#740 Pale Tussock Moth caterpillar (Calliteara pudibunda)
After a break, here are some August moths caught this week. A trio of new species included Orange Swift (Triodia sylvina), Rosy Tabby (Endotricha flammealis) and Yellow-barred Brindle (Acasis viretata).
A fine selection of moths captured on Monday morning included a spectacular Poplar Hawk Moth, Sallow Kitten, four new types of “carpet” and many ermine moths including Thistle Ermine. All this brings my count of moth species to over 200.
Some moth trapping this weekend brought my 800 species for the garden. Some of the highlights are shown below. Of the two new macros, the Dusky Sallow is a species from the Cotswolds liking drier calcareous habitats where its caterpillars live on grasses, whereas the Dun-bar is a woodland species needing deciduous trees. Apparently the caterpillars of the Dun-bar are partly carnivorous, augmenting their plant-based diet with caterpillars of other (and even sometimes their own) species.
There are hardly any butterflies around during the day, but at night I seem to be doing pretty well catching moths. Last night I struck gold with a flashy Burnished Brass, a striking Shaded Broad-bar and a Scarce Footman, among seven new species. It’s not certain if the metallic marks on some moths are to deter or confuse predators, or if it’s just to look good.
These are some of the micro moths I caught recently. A couple of new species of tortrix moths, most of which seem to be found around orchards and fruit trees, of which there are many round here. Also it is the season for grass moths, so several of these appear in the catch.
I caught a bumper haul of moths on Friday morning, following a still, warm & overcast night. This included four elephant hawk moths, and a several Heart & Date, Large Yellow Underwing, Uncertain, Flame, Buff Ermine and other commoner moths. Among these here are some of my favourites, including four new species of macro moths for my garden list.
Passionate about nature, based in Gloucestershire UK; this site is about creating a wildlife friendly family garden and exploring the diversity of animal & plant species that share it with us.
As a nature lover and wildlife gardener I started wondering about the biodiversity in my backyard and just how many species from plants to insects to birds to mammals might live in or visit it.
Much of the wildlife in my small, village garden has been present right under my nose for years without my really appreciating it, so on the way I am learning a lot about different species and how to make a wildlife-friendly environment for them; also getting engaged more in conservation activities around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and the Cotswolds.
My garden species tally started from zero on June 1st 2018, the target was 1000 species, which I eventually hit in June 2024. But there’s still plenty to see and learn about.
I'm very interested in your comments & advice: whether it's about the blog, some help with identification or just how to make my own little Eden better for wildlife. So please leave a comment or drop me a line if you feel like it!
Graham Tompsett
microedenproject@gmail.com
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