Blotched Emerald moth added to my life list.

Sunday 1st June 2025.

My first Blotched Emerald moth was a great start to the month.

A new month kicked off superbly this morning with a ‘Lifer’ moth and three more ‘year-ticks’ to add to an already impressive year total so far. The Devon trip really boosted my year total, but this morning, I really didn't expect to add a new moth to my Life List! I was up at ‘silly o’clock’ this morning and even had to wait half an hour for it to be properly light (4.45am!) and so I made a cup of coffee and caught up with my blog. It was overcast this morning,  but it was 14 degrees outside in the garden and so I was expecting a reasonable haul of moths.

The Moth Box:

Golden Twin-spot moth. This very uncommon migrant moth was my earliest ever.

I finally got my first ever Blotched Emerald this morning, a species I have always wanted to see. Chaps who live further north in Hampshire seemed to be successful with this species, but none here on the south coast. The moth was on the underside of my rainguard, but I knew what it was as soon as I saw it for the first time. Superb! Another cracking moth was a Golden Twin-spot, a species I was getting regularly last Autumn and in numbers too; but this was the earliest I had seen one of this species.

There were two Dark Arches moths this morning that were new for the year.

The best of the rest included my first Dark Arches and the micro moth, Barred Marble of the year. A total of 42 moths of 28 species were recorded this morning, which wasn't too bad for the start of June. The moths recorded this morning included the following:

Macro moths:

• White Ermine x4
• Bright-line Brown-eye 1
• Treble-lines x1
• Shuttle-shaped Dart x1
• Marbled Minor x2
• L-album Wainscot x2
• Vine’s Rustic x2
• Garden Carpet x1
• Angle Shades x1
• Golden Twin-spot x1
• Silver Y x1
• Heart & Dart x2
• BLOTCHED EMERALD x1
• Straw Dot x1
• Brimstone Moth x1
• Dark Arches x2
• Willow Beauty x3
• Common Pug x1
• Lime-speck Pug 1

Macro moths:

• Blushed Knot-horn x1
• Bronze Alder Moth x2
• Common Plume x1
• Beautiful Plume x1
• Light Brown Apple Moth x1
• Ash Bud Moth x1
• Garden Mompha x1
• Barred Marble x1
• Brown House Moth x2

Barred Marble (Celypha striana).

While checking the Moth Box, a Swallow flew low over the garden heading north. A late migrant perhaps? Yesterday, Geoff Farwell and Andy Fisher had a great day out in the New Forest where they recorded 2 Cuckoo’s, Raven, 5 singing Firecrests, 2 Willow Warblers, Siskins and 3 Common Crossbills at one site and at another, 2 Wood Warblers, 7 Firecrests, Willow Warbler, 5 Woodlark, Marsh Tit, 2 Cuckoo’s and 2 Common Buzzards. Well done guys.