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.
More moths caught at the weekend, including Small and Large elephant Hawk Moths and Cloaked Minor, another new species.
This nicely marked moth is a bit of a rarity as well. Small Ranunculus (Hecatera dysodea) was believed extinct in UK between 1914 and 1997, when it was found to be re-established in South-East England. This moth has been spreading North and West since, but there are still only a few records per year in Gloucestershire. This moth’s caterpillars are found on Prickly Lettuce, which itself found as a not-very-common weed on roadsides and disturbed ground.
It was dry and still, but a bit cold overnight, so there weren’t too many moths in the trap this morning, but nonetheless three new species; a pug and two micros - all quite small and not very colourful.
The pug is a Currant Pug (Eupithecia assimilata), whose larval food-plant is (unsurprisingly) currant bushes. The large dark spots at the front of the wings and pale spots towards the trailing edge identify this species, which has 2 generations during the summer. Garden Pebble (Evergestis forficalis) is also double-brooded, favouring gardens and allotments where its caterpillars can be a pest on cruciferous plants (eg. cabbages). Finally the False Cacao Moth (Ephestia woodiella) has several similar relatives, but most of them are more likely to be found in food warehouses or your kitchen cupboards in the dried fruit, nuts or flour, than in the wild. Flying mostly in May-July, it seems to be becoming more common.
Apart from the pugs, carpets and some others I covered separately, there was a great selection of moths in and around the moth trap this weekend. There were plenty that I also caught last year, but I can’t show them all, so here are the new species that I didn’t already mention in other posts. Even with all the great materials around on the web, especially the “Flying tonight” sites for Norfolk and Hampshire it still takes quite a time to go through and identify everything, and I’ve still got a few caddis flies and other non-moths I need to look at.
Here are for of the pug moths I’ve caught over the last week or so. There are quite a bewildering number of often rather similar-looking pug moths to choose from, but these are some of the commoner ones at this time of the year.
Garden Carpet (Xanthorhoe fluctuata) and Common Marbled Carpet (Dysstroma truncata) are both very variable in colour, and have been present in decent numbers while I’ve been trapping this spring (they are present right through to the Autumn as well). Among these I also caught some new species from the large family of colourful carpet moths: Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria), Cypress Carpet (Thera cupressata), the rather striking Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata) and Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata). Cypress Carpet is a newly arrived species in UK, first found in 1984 but now spread to Leylandii hedges all over the South of Britain. None of the species mentioned cause damage to carpets, by the way.
Both these moths are Common Swifts. I caught the all-dark one the other day and wondered what it was, but there is a melanistic form which is about the same colour as a Common Swift, the bird. The females apparently also tend to be duller than the males, which I suppose is what you see on the right. These moths fly in May-June, their caterpillars living the rest of the year underground nibbling the roots of grasses.
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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