Late October at Warndon

Red-line Quaker

Dark Chestnut

Can't compete with Mike's tropical selection but a few nice moths as the garden cooled down this week. A Grey Shoulder-knot and Red-lined Quaker needed a ladder to pot them off the back house wall.


Diurnea lipsiella

Grey Shoulder-knot


Tried the actinic on Thursday and was rewarded with a superb Dark Chestnut. Last night a bit of a puzzler - a rather plain and triangular moth with subtle angles and patterned Diurnea lipsiella, following singles here on the 30th October 2011 and 2015.

Purple Marbled

Following the four Vestals yesterday, this Purple Marbled came to mv light at Norchard ,Worcs, last night. This appears to be a second county record. Also was two Silver Y, and a Rusty-dot Pearl, but no more Vestals. A Sprawler, and a Figure of Eight were my first records for the season this morning.

Common Quaker

This Common Quaker was an early arrival last night at Norchard, Worcs, probably due to the mild weather. Also recorded were Yellow-tail, Flame Shoulder and a late Scorpion fly. Four Vestals were the only obvious migrants.

Southern Softies

Some effort checking the Ivy by  Nunnery Wood CP from late September was rewarded with a Pearly Underwing on the 26th September.

Pearly Underwing

 A Rusty Dot Pearl was found on the nearby outdoor café wall lights on the 8th October. A Cypress Carpet was in the garden Robinson after Friday 13th October (not for me unlucky).

Cypress Carpet

 and a Delicate was the pick of the migrants at Mike's NMN effort on 14th October. 

Coleophora bonus

Coleophora binderella larval case, Trench Wood.

I've been making the effort to do a bit more leaf-mining this autumn so this morning, although it was cold, damp and grey, I visited Trench Wood hoping to find Phyllonorycter esperella on hornbeam. Whilst I failed to find the target I had a good selection of mines of other species and even managed to see the larval stages of three Coleophs, Coleophora gryphipennella on rose, C. lusciniaepennella on sallow and C. binderella on grey alder so there is always something worth seeing.

Patrick Clement

Bringsty Common End of the World

When the sun went red his morning in the sky and the gathering clouds looked really stormy I wondered about the apocalypse.  Hurricane due and not a wisper of wind at 9am.  How that changed and quickly. I've been running 2 moth ttraps in the garden these past three days. Combined there were 48 species identified with a couple still to do (including Novembers). Some migrant activity with Nomophila noctuella and last night no less than 4 Vestals.  There's been interest recently in late emerging species and I had a Small Fan-footed Wave 3 nights ago, then Heart & Dart 2 nights ago and last night a half sized Riband Wave in the trap.  No late records broken though (Phyl?) New for the site was a Large Wainscot. Peter Hall

Bringsty Common: Red Morning sun

Bringsty Common: Merveille du Jour

Bringsty Common: Large Wainscot

Bringsty Common: Brick

Bringsty Common: Brindled Green

Bringsty Common: Vestal

Bringsty Common: Figure of 8

National Moth Night

Quite a few moths on the nearby ivy here at Norchard, Worcs, including this Dotted Chestnut. I am running a public event from my house tomorrow night starting at 7pm, so if anybody is free they are welcome to join us. The details are on the moth night website.

Ruby Tiger and Mottled Rustic

I had this Ruby Tiger in the garden this morning. The books say that the odd one appears in the south as a third brood. Also a second brood Mottled Rustic on Friday night was unusual here at Norchard..

Bohemannia auriciliella

Bohemannia auriciliella

Tiny moths and flies will sometimes overheat and die on top of the rain guard above an MV lamp and on a good night with warm humid conditions there may be a fair number of corpses by morning so it is always worth brushing everything into a pot for careful examination at a later date. I did just that after an all-night session in woodland near Hallow, (Worcs), in late August and sifting through the debris a couple of days ago one Nep stood out as being a 'bit different' and so it proved to be. Dissection showed it to be Bohemannia auriciliella, a scarce species with only around a dozen records in the UK although Guy Meredith recorded one in Gloucestershire earlier this year so maybe one to look out for.
Patrick Clement