#1017 Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci)

After a mini heatwave for the time of year. I put out my moth trap on one of the colder evenings and din’t catch much. But one of the few was a Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci), a moth that files in one generation in April-May. Its conspicuously-marked caterpillars are found on Buddleia (and of course, Mullein).

Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) is the most frequently caught moth in this season, with a second generation in Aug-Sept. This week I caught several - all males, like the one pictured (females are quite differently coloured)..

#1017 Mullein Moth (Cucullia verbasci)

#659 Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta)

Lace Weavers

I came across plenty of spiders while tidying up the shed and replacing some rotten timbers. These are two lace weavers, which produce a web of fine spider silk, usually around some kind of funnel or a hole/crevice.

#225 Lace Webbed Spider (Amaurobius fenestralis/similis)

#103 Black Lace Weaver (Amaurobius ferox)

Firebug Nymph (Pyrrhocoris apterus)

Firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus), known locally as “Gendarmes” are common in France, often associated with Lime trees. This is a nymph, not a full adult, found in the garden in Frejus. Seems these bugs didn’t become too widely established in UK yet. The small beetles are not identified - one morning there were thousands of them all over the outside of the garden compost bin.

More Flowers from Provence

These are a couple of beautiful flowers found on a short walk around Frejus. Small-flowered Catchfly (Silene Gallica), or Silene de France, is found on rough ground all around the Mediterranean. This version, Silene gallica quinquevulnera or Five-wounds Catchfly, with its pale edges to the petals is the common one in the Var and is especially pretty. The impressive looking orchid is a Violet Birds-nest Orchid (Limodorum abortivum) or Violet Limidore. This is a parasitic orchid living off fungi that are associated with the roots of Oak trees. It is found especially in Southern France, in damper and shady woodland.

Small-flowered Catchfly (Silene Gallica)

Violet Birds-nest Orchid (Limodorum abortivum)

Easter in the Massif de l'Esterel

Back in the Var in southern France, we took a couple of hikes in the coastal range of the Massif de l’Esterel. In summer the hills are very dry and it’s also hot for hiking unless you are up early in the morning, but in April there’s lots of flowers. This selection was mostly photographed on Mont Vinaigre - a great hike too giving 360 degree views along the coast and across to the still snow-covered Southern Alps of the Mercantour National Park.

White-spotted Rose Beetle (Oxythyrea funesta)

L'orchis de Provence (Orchis provincialis)

Asphodèle de Villars (Asphodelus macrocarpus)

Hélianthème taché (Tuberaria guttata)

Ciste cotonneux (Cistus albidus)

Tassel Hyacinth (Muscari comosum)

Warm Days, Chilly Spring Nights

Daytime temperature bis up to 20 Celsius, but the nights are clear and still quite cold at night, even a touch of frost some mornings. It’s also nearly full moon, so there are not too many moths flying yet. These though are a pretty trio, and harbinger of more to come as Spring draws on.

#606 Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)

#739 Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa)

#741 Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria)

Dark-edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

I snapped this Dark-edged Bee Fly basking in the sunshine earlier in the week. These flies emerge in March and and are very fast fliers, unless you are lucky enough to catch one taking a rest. They lay their eggs in bees nests where the bee fly’s larvae eat the larvae of the bees. The long snout looks menacing, but it is just to take nectar from flowers. I didn’t see any at all last year as early Spring here was so miserable, so this one is appreciated!

Black Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus humator)

These sexton beetles are a regular catch in the moth trap during March-April. It’s always good to catch a big beetle! The adults overwinter emerging in the Spring. They tend to fly at night, searching by smell for dead birds or mammals, where the female lays her eggs and on which the larvae subsequently feed.

Frog Spawn

It’s the first day of Spring, and I’m delighted to find some frog spawn in my garden pond. I was a bit late digging it out last year, but this (and some dragonflies, later in the year, hopefully) was exactly what I was hoping for.

Quakers & Early Spring Moths

After some warmer days, this was the first outing in 2025 for my moth trap, catching some typical moths for mid-March. All of these moths fly for a couple of months in a single generation in the early Spring.

#727 Common Quaker (Orthosia cerasi)

#726 Small Quaker (Orthosia cruda)

#725 Hebrew Character (Orthosia gothica)

#723 Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta)

Irish Yellow Slug (Limacus maculatus)

Found this lurking in the greenhouse; good to remove it before I start trying to grow anything there.

#980 Irish Yellow Slug, (Limacus maculatus)

Purple Jellydisc & Witches Butter

Spotted a few fungi while catching some fresh air on Cleeve Hill this week. Purple Jelleydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides) and Witches Butter aka Yellow Brain Fungus (Tremella mesenterica) provided quite a satisfying colour combination on a dead Gorse branch. Elsewhere there were a few groups of Funnel toadstools (Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis), which are typically a late fruiting fungus showing from October thru to January.

Purple Jellydisc & Witches Butter

The Funnel (Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis)

Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

I’ve got three of these visiting the bird feeders - they prefer sunflower hearts if any are available.

Tiny Translucent Fungi

I came across a few examples of this tiny parasol growing in patches of moss on Cleeve Hill - it must be a fungus of some kind. It’s a very pretty translucent white fungus, taken on macro, so about 1 cm across, with a parasol that looks like it’s made of petals rather than pleats. So far I didn’t find any photo quite like it on the internet. The nearest comparison is Pleated Inkcap, of which there were plenty growing nearly, but these are bigger with a brown centre; and they tended to be found more in grassy areas on the hill.

Unidentified Fungus

Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis)

Waxcaps on Cleeve Hill

Almost a year to the day since my last Autumn visit to Cleeve Hill, and there were lots of fungi to see. A good collection of Waxcaps and other grassland fungi. Great views of a Short-eared Owl were a bonus (but sadly no photos of that).

Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea)

Golden Wacap (Hygrocybe chlorophana)

Snowy Waxcap (Cuphophyllus virgineus)

Wood Blewit (Collybia nuda Fungi)

Fairy Ring Mushroom (Marasmius oreades)

Golden Spindles (Clavulinopsis fusiformis)

Yellow Stagshorn (Calocera viscosa)

Puffball sp.

A New Gnat

Moths are getting a bit thin on the ground, but normally I’s expect more than just a single Light Brown Apple Moth by the trap in the morning. There were a lot of gnats attracted to the light thpough, including Winter Gnats and a Sylvicola species, which I believe is Window Gnat. The latter turns out to be a new species for the garden, as previously I only noticed Clear-tipped Window Gnat (Sylvicola punctatus), whereas last night’s has grey wing-tips if you look close enough. This is a common species though, that can be found all year round.

#1016 Window Gnat (Sylvicola fenestralis)

#383 Winter Gnat (Trichocera annulata)

#317 Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)

Sparrowhawk Kill

All of a sudden we have birds back in the garden. A month ago I only recorded 10 species during the week for the BTO Garden Bird Survey; this week 22 species. Among the returning winter visitors are a group of Redwings in my neighbour’s holly tree, a Chaffinch, a pair of Blackcaps, two Song Thrushes, a Mistle Thrush guarding any mistletoe berries in the area, the first Coal Tit for a while and, of course, a Sparrowhawk. In this case the Sparrowhawk, a male, grabbed one of a small influx of Blackbirds and after a short struggle, plucked it, before heading off somewhere to finish off eating it.

Oleander Hawk-moth Caterpillar

Back from a short trip to Frejus in the South of France, where I came across this magnificent caterpillar in the garden. Oleander Hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii) caterpillars start out green, then morph to this orange/black form, before pupating, then turning into a particularly spectacular hawk moth. There is a ton of Oleander (Laurier Rose) in the garden and this was disturbed by pruning. The leaves of Oleander are poisonous, but these caterpillars can consume it okay. Adult Oleander Hawk-moths are rare Autumn vagrants to the UK and the larvae are not recorded here. The French name for the moth is Le Sphinx du Laurier-rose.

Birch Shieldbug (Elasmostethus interstinctus)

These handsome bugs over-winter as adults and can be found all year round, usually associated with Birch trees and sometimes Hazels. Their range covers nearly all of UK.

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)

I don’t get many dragonflies in the garden, so it’s always good when one turns up. I’ve had Common Darter previously; but also only late in the year during October. We had our first real frost last night, but this species seems relatively hardy as it can be seen right through to December if the weather is mild. It frequents ponds, including small garden ones, but also often occurs quite far from water.