A Large Thorn moth added to my year list.

 Wednesday 12^th August 2026.

Only my second ever Large Thorn moth was found near the Moth Box.

I made sure I had my fleece on this morning as the temperature in the garden was in single figures. However, over the next few days, the heatwave will peak and get up to 35 degrees with very light easterly wind. Another large haul of Moths again this morning including another moth that was new for the year.

The UK is oncourse for the hottest year on record and something that we will all have to get used to in the future. On top of this, today, the UK will experience a 96% near full eclipse of the sun around 7.30pm tonight and this is followed by a big meteor shower late tonight. Could be interesting!

My Moth Box:

One of three Portland Ribbon Waves today.

My first Large Thorn of the year was found near the moth box at 5.45am this morning. It is a stunning species and only the second one I have ever recorded in my garden.

There was a slight increase in numbers, with 121 moths of 35 species recorded. The catch also included a noticeable rise in some of the scarcer species.

Migrant species recorded

Olive-tree Pearl.

·        Up to three Portland Ribbon Waves — the highest number I have recorded in my garden in a single day.

·        Two Small Mottled Willows.

·        Two White-points.

·        Seven Golden Twin-spots — the highest total so far this year.

·        Eight Rusty-dot Pearls and one Olive-tree Pearl among the micro-moths.

This morning also produced the highest counts of the year for both Garden Tiger and Blair’s Mocha, with six and three recorded respectively.

The most abundant species were Apple Leaf Miners, followed closely by Light Brown Apple Moths.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Large Thorn * x1	Common Plume x4
Garden Tiger x6	Gold Triangle x1
Portland Ribbon Wave x3	Box Tree Moth x6
Double-striped Pug x4	Light Brown Apple Moth x10
Lime-speck Pug x3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Marbled Beauty x2	Hawthorn Moth x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x5	Rusty-dot Pearl x8
Small Mottled Willow x2	Blushed Knot-horn x2
Blair’s Mocha x3	Apple Leaf Miner x15
Shuttle-shaped Dart x7	Meal Moth x1
Heart & Dart x1	Garden Mompha x1
White-point x2	Coleophora sp. X1
Small Ranunculus x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
Golden Twin-spot x7	Common Grass-moth x1
Common Rustic x4	Codling Moth x1
Small Dusty Wave x1
L-album Wainscot x2
Common Wainscot x1
Pale Mottled Willow x8
Cabbage Moth x1

 

This Batman Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) was inside the Moth Box.

While checking the Moth Box, the only notable insect (apart from the Moths!) was a Batman Hoverfly perched on the inside of the Box.

The lovely view of Highland Terrace where I walk my dogs through every day. A gorgeous Eucalyptus Tree is growing in one of the gardens. The tree does provide a good Wood Pigeon roost and so you have to be careful where you tread when walking!

Another new Moth for my Life List.

 Tuesday 11^th August 2026.

Another new moth for my Life List, a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER micro moth.

The warm weather continues and it is Thursday that is set to be the hottest day of the week as another heat wave envelopes the southern half of the UK. A clear blue sky overhead this morning and you would of thought it was a Winters morning as the temperature in my garden was most certainly in single figures. In fact, I wished I had worn a fleece instead of shorts and a Polo shirt! However, as the morning wore on, the temperature climbed dramatically as it got up to the mid 70’s by 11am.

My day, as per usual, kicked off with the Moth Box and I was rewarded with 106 moths of 39 species. In among them was a surprise Skeletonizer micro moth. Though I have seen this species before, I thought it was the Apple Leaf Skeletonizer, which I had my first ever one last year. However, on closer inspection, it was a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER (Choreutis nemorana), which was a ‘Lifer’ and now added to my Moth Life List. Incredible stuff!

On a more serious note, the superb Firefighters had worked overnight again to contain the flames in the New Forest, by the A31, that was caused by a Van fire on Sunday evening. But again, a huge area of the New Forest is lost along with a lot of wildlife, and the Firefighters will be there for the next few days to make sure it stays under control.

 

My Moth Box:

My first Vestal moth of the year.

As well as the amazing news about the FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER, there was a host of excellent migrant Moths this morning that included my first Vestal of the year. This smart little moth is a sort after species for those into Moths and at last, one graced my Moth Box this morning on one of the egg trays. Other migrant Moths included up to FOUR Golden Twin-spots, a White-point, 2 Small Mottled Willow, Portland Ribbon Wave, Tree-lichen Beauty, 2 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella), 2 Dark-bordered Pearl (Evergestis limbate), 7 Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugellis) and an Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis).

Above, my first Common Wainscot moth of the year and below, one of two Dark-bordered Pearl moths.

Another Portland Ribbon Wave in my garden this morning.

Also present was my first Common Wainscot of the year on one of the egg trays with other notable Moths including 4 Garden Tigers, Blair’s Mocha and the micro moths Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) and Tree-mallow Tortrix (Crocidosema plebejana). The hottest day of the week is yet to come, so what Moths will that evening produce? Tomorrow evening should be interesting as a near full eclipse of the sun is to take place early evening and a meteor shower at night!

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Garden Tiger x4	Common Plume x7
Golden Twin-spot 4	Apple Leaf Miner x9
Double-striped Pug 5	Box Tree Moth x3
Lime-speck Pug x2	Gold Triangle x1
Vestal * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x7
Small Dusty Wave x5	Rush Veneer x2
Blair’s Mocha x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x7
White-point x1	FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER x1
Garden Carpet x1	Dark-bordered Pearl x2
Riband Wave x1	Common Grass-moth x2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5	Ruddy Streak x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
L-album Wainscot 3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Common Wainscot * x1	Hampshire Dowd x1
Common Rustic x5	Coleophora sp x1
Pale Mottled Willow x8	Meal Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Small Mottled Willow x2
Marbled Beauty x2
Portland Ribbon Wave x1
Tree-lichen Beauty x1
Cloaked Minor x1

While checking the Moth Box, sadly no Willow Warblers calling deep within the gardens, but two very high-flying singing Swallows were heard only, somewhere high in the blue sky. When I took my dogs for their very early morning, I had just come out of Highland Terrace when I heard a juvenile Sparrowhawk flying overhead and I managed to get a few glimpses of the calling bird as it made its way south high over Highland Road Cemetery.

 

In Hampshire today:

A couple of Common Sandpipers on Titchfield Haven today. Photo by Daz Gorman.

At Titchfield Haven today, up to 7 Spoonbills graced the Reserve and 4 Common Sandpipers in front of the Meonshore Hide. On the beach at Hill Head, up to 89 Turnstone were present along with 4 Sanderling. 3 Curlew Sandpipers were on the Lake on Farlington Marshes, while over at Hook-with-Warsash, a Whinchat was present. An Osprey was reported over Eling Great Marsh, Southampton.

A Willow Warbler at Northney Paddocks. Photo by Andy Friend.

Away from Birds, both the Long-tailed Blue butterflies on Portsdown Hill and the Queen of Spain Fritillaries near Basingstoke were being reported today.

 

More migrant Moths & a fire in the New Forest.

 Monday 10th August 2026.

My second Portland Ribbon Wave on the year.

Another dry and bright start to the day although even at 5.30am this morning, it was still not quite light yet. There was hardly any wind and although the very light winds were coming in from the north, it was quite mild first thing. After reading the Migrant Lepidoptera Facebook site saying that it should be good for migrant moths over this coming week and what with yet another heat wave on its way again (5^th one for the year!), I decided to put the Moth box on overnight and it paid off with some excellent moths.

Sadly, as predicted, a fire broke out in the New Forest after a Lorry caught fire and the fire spread to the nearby heath by the A31 between Picket Post and junction 2 on the M27 where the road is now closed. More very important heathland and wildlife now going up in flames. There is no sign of any rain soon either and as another heat wave is on the way, whatever next?

My Moth Box:

The migrant moth Bordered Straw.

Another excellent total of 97 moths of 40 species recorded this morning. The only species new for the year was the micro moth House Moss-moth (Bryotropha domestica); a tiny moth yet annual to my garden.

Above, one of two Golden Twin-spot moths and below, the micro moth House Moss-moth, which was new for the year.

The migrant moths are still coming in with my second Portland Ribbon Wave of the year, Turnip Moth, 2 Golden Twin-spots, Small Mottled Willow, Silver Y and another Bordered Straw. Of the micro moths, an Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis) was sitting just inside the Moth Box and 8 Rusty-dot Pearls (Udea ferrugelis) were recorded, though there could be many more hiding away among the plants within my garden.

Above, yet another Pale-streaked Grass-moth in my garden today.

Other notable moths this morning included 2 Garden Tigers, Small Ranunculus and one Blair’s Mocha and the micro moths included a Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) and a Pale-streaked Grass-moth (Agriphila selasella). Two more unidentified micros were among the many including a Coleophora species and an Etainia species, which both have to be dissected to be 100% sure of identification.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Brimstone Moth x1	Box Tree Moth x4
Pale Mottled Willow x7	Olive-tree Pearl x1
Vine’s Rustic x3	Light Brown Apple Moth x6
L-album Wainscot x1	Mint Moth x1
Willow Beauty x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x8
Double-striped Pug x7	Common Plume x5
Small Dusty Wave x4	Gold Triangle x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x3	Chestnut Tortrix x2
Garden Tiger x2	Common Masoner x1
Small Ranunculus x1	Apple Leaf Miner x9
Turnip Moth x1	Garden Pebble x1
Marbled Beauty x2	Brown House Moth x1
Common Rustic x7	House Moss-moth * x1
Small Mottled Willow x1	Hawthorn Moth x1
Golden Twin-spot x2	Pale-streaked Grass-moth x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x3	Coloephora sp x1
Cabbage Moth x1	Ruddy Streak x1
Blair’s Mocha x1	Etainia sp x1
Bordered Straw x1
Portland Ribbon Wave x1
Silver Y x1

 

The only bird of note recorded this morning while checking the Moth Box was a Willow Warbler softly calling deep within vegetation at the back of my garden.

Yesterday, I didn’t do any birding (took me most of the morning to update my blog from Saturday’s sightings!), though I did flush a Silver Y moth  from one of the plants and the butterflies in my garden included a couple of Red Admirals, several Holly Blue’s and a Small White. Birding pal, Geoff Farwell, was back down Farlington Marshes yesterday and recorded the following sightings: Marsh Harrier, 8 Cattle Egrets, 2 Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet, 2 Greenshank, 60 Herring Gulls, Wheatear, Reed Bunting and 7+ Yellow Wagtails. There was also a small movement of Swifts, Sand and House Martins.