Insects
28/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 27/05/26 and checked this morning . Yet another warm night.It produced a good catch of 37 moth's of 23 species.
Highlights were a Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata , Varigated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana
and Straw Dot Rivula sericealis .
With 8 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 89 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
Seen on the bridge over the Emm Brook in Area 10 by Alan Rymer was a Painted Lady Enallagma cyathigerum butterfly.
27/05/26
Seen on the bridge over the Emm Brook in Area 10 by Alan Rymer was a freshly emerged Female Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum .
26/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 25/05/26 and checked this morning . It was a very warm night with temperatures not dropping down below 21.4C .It produced my best catch of the year with 39 moth's of 25 species.
Highlights were a Eyed Hawk Moth Smerinthus ocellatus named after the "Eyes"on the hindwings, Yellow-banded Longhorn Nemophora degeerella
and Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana .
With 3 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 81 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
Also in the trap was a Crab Spider Xysticus sp.The UK is home to nearly 30 species of crab spiders (family Thomisidae). Named for their wide bodies and crab-like stance,
and sideways movement. I believe that this species might be Xysticus cristatus.
25/05/26
Sitting out in a shady part of my Area 4 garden I noticed a Common Blue Eilema sororcula butterfly .
24/05/26
The moth trap was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 23/05/26 and checked this morning . Oh what a night It produced a catch of 43 moth's of 27 species.
Highlights were 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata An attractive pale-green species, which has a blood-red tip to the forewing,Middle-barred Minor Oligia fasciuncula
and Marbled Brown Drymonia dodonaea .
With 15 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 78 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
At the bottom of the trap was an unfortunately deceased Green Drake Mayfly Ephemera danica.
22/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 21/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a good catch of 24 moth's of 10 species.
Highlights were 2 Orange Footman Eilema sororcula , Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata
and the micro moth Common Marble Celypha lacunana .
With 3 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 63 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
21/05/26
Walking across Smiths Walk in Area 4 was a male Stag Beetle Korscheltellus lupulina seen by Phil Pinel.
24/05/26
The moth trap was out again in my Area 4 garden overnight on 23/05/26 and checked this morning . Oh what a night It produced a catch of 43 moth's of 27 species.
Highlights were 2 Light Emerald Campaea margaritata An attractive pale-green species, which has a blood-red tip to the forewing,Middle-barred Minor Oligia fasciuncula
and Marbled Brown Drymonia dodonaea .
With 15 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 78 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
22/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 21/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a good catch of 24 moth's of 10 species.
Highlights were 2 Orange Footman Eilema sororcula , Common Marbled Carpet Dysstroma truncata
and the micro moth Common Marble Celypha lacunana .
With 3 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 63 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
21/05/26
Walking across Smiths Walk in Area 4 was a male Stag Beetle Korscheltellus lupulina seen by Phil Pinel.
20/05/26
With overnight temperatures on the up, the moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 19/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a good catch, following recent dissapointments of 14 moth's of 7 species.
Highlights were 2 Common Swift Korscheltellus lupulina , Mint Moth Pyrausta aurata and Heart and Dart Agrotis exclamationis
With 3 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 60 species.Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
Also in the catch was my first May Bug Melolontha melolontha of the year . Also known as Cockchafer Beetles . It has characteristic fanned antennae, a black body, and brown legs and wingcases.
Their undersides are covered with fine white hairs. Males have seven ‘feathers’ to each antennae while females have six.
17/05/26
Seen in an Area 5 garden at lunch time was a Hornet Vespa crabro .The fearsome-looking hornet may not be a well-loved insect, but it is actually much less aggressive than the common wasp.
It is also an important pollinator and a predator of species that feed on plants and crops, so can be a gardener's friend.
In an Area 7 garden were Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta and technically not an Insect but a Woodlouse Spider Dysdera crocata .This spider’s powerful jaws are designed to pierce the tough armour of woodlice,
their only prey. Instead of spinning webs, they hunt at night by searching warm, damp places for roaming woodlice, capturing them in their forward-facing jaws. Photos courtesy of Carol Woodman.
16/05/26
With overnight temperatures still on the low side, I just put the patio light on in my Area 4 garden overnight on 15/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a catch of just 2 moth's of 2 species.
Highlights were 3 Maidens Blush Charanyca trigrammica and Willow Beauty Agrotis puta
With 2 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 57 species.
Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
09/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 08/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a catch of just 6 moth's of 5 species.
Highlight was a White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda .
With 1 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 55 species.
Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
07/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 06/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a catch of just 6 moth's of 4 species.
Highlights were 3 Treble Lines Charanyca trigrammica a common, distinctively marked moth and Shuttle shaped Dart Agrotis puta A sexually dimorphic species,
the males having brownish variegated forewings and white hindwings, the females fairly plain dark brown forewings and buffish hindwings.
With 2 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 54 species.
Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
04/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 03/05/26 and checked this morning . It produced a catch of 16 moth's of 9 species.
Highlights were a Flame Carpet Diaphora mendica and the micro moth Tinea trinotella .
With 2 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is 52 species.
Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
01/05/26
The moth trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 30/04/26 and checked this morning . It produced a miserable catch of 5 moth's of 2 species.
Highlights were 3 male Muslin Moth Diaphora mendica .The female of this species is white with slightly translucent wings, whereas the male is grey-brown or sooty-grey.
With no new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is still 50 species.
Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.
