Bumper crop of Moths & a dog walk with Margot.

Thursday 24th July 2025

A clear, bright start to the morning here in Southsea with a light northerly wind, but as the day wore on then the cloud rolled in and there were only a few occasional sunny spells. The Moth Box was on last night and another bumper morning with over a hundred moths present. Late this morning, I had to take my daughter's dog Margot out for a walk over at Forty Acres in Bedhampton and so took her around the scrubby area to the south of where she lived.

My Moth Box:

Up close and personal with a Pale Mottled Willow moth.

A very good count of 108 moths of 42 species this morning that included yet another three more species for the year. Finally, my first Dusky Thorn turned up in my garden this morning and was joined by two Canary-shouldered Moths. An amazing total of FOUR Golden Twin-spot moths were found in and around my Moth Box and at last, my first Tree-lichen Beauty of the year was found on the brick holding my rainguard down. My second Blair’s Mocha was in one of the outside trays and probably yesterday’s Satin Wave was near the Box. Of the micros, new for the year was the Ribwort Stilt moth (Aspilapteryx tringipennella) and nearly two thirds of the Moths present this morning were made up of Common Plume and Light Brown Apple Moths.

Above, everyone else was getting them bar myself, so this Tree-lichen Beauty this morning was a very welcome moth. Below, the four Golden Twin-spots.

Above, only my second ever Ribwort Stilt moth and below, a Rufous Pearl.

Immigrant Moths this morning included 4 Diamond-back Moth, Rufous Pearl, 3 Rusty-dot Pearl, 3 Silver Y, a Four-spotted Footman, 2 Jersey Tigers and the already mentioned Golden Twin-spots.

Above, I finally get my Dusky Thorn and below, a superb Blair's Mocha.

Above, a closer look at the Golden Twin-spot moth.

The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot x4	Diamond-back Moth x4
Silver Y x3	Beautiful Plume x1
Jersey Tiger x2	Common Plume x15
Dusky Thorn x1 *	Light Brown Apple Moth x14
Tree-lichen Beauty x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x3
Canary-shouldered Thorn x2	Common Masoner x3
Satin Wave x1	Rufous Pearl x1
Double-striped Pug	Ribwort Stilt x1 *
Lime-speck Pug	Brown House Moth x1
Common Pug x1	Garden Grey x1
Lackey x1	Barred Yellowneck x1
Blair’s Mocha x1	White-shouldered House Moth x2
Bright-line Bright-eye x2	Bird-cherry Ermine x2
Brimstone Moth x2
Large Yellow Underwing x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5
Dark Arches x1
Four-spotted Footman x1
Knot Grass x1
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Common Rustic x4
Cabbage Moth x1
Marbled Beauty x2
Willow Beauty x3
Grey / Dark Dagger x2
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x1
Dun-bar x1

While I was checking the Moths, I heard the distinctive call of Crossbills overhead and although I never managed a glimpse of them (very hard against a blue sky), at least two birds were heard heading west.

Matt & Emma's Moth Box:

The new Moths attracted to their Moth Box overnight included the following: Ox-tongue Conch, Oak Nycteoline, a probable Turnip Moth plus 2 Tree-lichen Beauty and an Oak Hook-tip.

Forty Acres, Bedhampton:

Some say that this is just a wasteland, but it was full of wild flowers and various insects. In the coming Autumn, I reckon it will be full of migrant birds. Looking forward to it. 

Around 11.30am, I took my daughter's dog Margot out for a lengthy walk around the pastures to the south of the new estate. As always, I kept an eye out for anything of note and noticed how scrubby it was looking now with a lot of plants going to seed which included Mallow, Smooth Sow-thistle, Creeping Thistle, Teasel, Tufted Vetch and Common Fleabane.

Above, Tufted Vetch and below, Teasel. 

While walking her through the footpaths with all these plants growing alongside, we flushed up a few butterflies and moths that included Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and Small White with at least two, possibly three Rush Veneer moths seen.

Above, Creeping Thistle and below, another view of the area we walked around this morning.

Not an awful lot regarding any birdlife, but a Meadow Pipit flew overhead and a Willowchiff was calling near the railway line. Both Linnet and Goldfinch were heard, but not seen. This location looks good for a good walk around in the coming Autumn and is probably very under-watched. I just might have to put this area on my map in future.

Another FIVE more Moths added to year list.

Wednesday 23rd July 2025.

As mentioned yesterday, there was no Pembroke Road this morning due to the fact it is now the Schools Summer break and therefore, I can relax a bit more and check the surrounding Moth Box more thoroughly. It was bright this morning, though a bit cloudy at times and relatively mild. Temperatures have been a lot cooler this week so far and today, a very light northerly was blowing in 18 degrees. The Moth Box was on overnight and a reasonable total was had.

My Moth Box:

One of two Canary-shouldered Thorns. These were my first of the year.

There were FIVE new moths for the year this morning and a nice variety of immigrant moths too. Two Canary-shouldered Thorns were found outside the Box and a Dot Moth was my first for many a year. A Satin Wave was also a good find and also new for the year. I rarely get them in my garden and can only recollect a handful since I have been studying the Moths. 

Above, my first Dot Moth for many years and below, a Satin Wave; both new for the year.

Above, another cracking moth, the Golden Twin-spot and below, my first Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner of the year.

Above, a real rarity to my garden, a Marbled Yellow Pearl and below, a superb Four-dotted Footman.

Among the immigrant moths there was a male Four-spotted Footman, Golden Twin-spot, Rush Veneer, Diamond-back Moth, Jasmine Moth and a Marbled Yellow Pearl; the latter a good record for my garden and my first for the year. Though common and always seen as the result of their larvae in Highland Road Cemetery, the Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner was my first of the year within my Moth Box.

Macro moths:                                Macro moths:

Jersey Tiger x3                            Oak Knot-horn x1  

Canary-shouldered Thorn x2 *    Garden Pebble x1

Willow Beauty x3                         Large Pale Masoner x2

Lychnis x1                                    Black-banded Masoner x2

Four-spotted Footman x1            Common Masoner x5

Common Rustic x1                       Rush Veneer x1

Shuttle-shaped Dart x2                Diamond-back Moth x1

Pale Mottled Willow x1                 Copper-fringed Drab x1

Golden Twin-spot x1                     Light Brown Apple Moth x16

Double-striped Pug x7                 Beautiful Plume x1

Lime-speck Pug x4                      Ash-bark Knot-horn x1

Silver Y x1                                    Rusty-dot Pearl x3

Knot Grass x1                              Garden Grey x1

Dot Moth x1 *                               Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner x1 *

Satin Wave x1 *                           Jasmine Moth x1

Brimstone Moth x2                       Garden Grass-veneer x1

Dark Arches x1                             Apple Leaf Miner x1

                                                         Brown House Moth x2

                                                         Willow Ermine x1

                                                         Marbled Yellow Pearl x1 *

In Hampshire today, news broke out this afternoon of a Pectoral Sandpiper down at Farlington Marshes. It was on the Info end of the Stream area where it spent several hours but by 4.30pm, it had gone, leaving behind 3 Little Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper in its wake. A Curlew Sandpiper and a Knot were in the Lake area.

Above, the Pectoral Sandpiper on Farlington Marshes today and below, the long-staying Long-tailed Duck at Pennington Marshes. Both photos by Andy Tew.

Over at Cowplain Marsh, Andy Fisher had a Southern Hawker by his Garden Pond and thankfully, he took a photo of the Dragonfly. An excellent garden ‘tick’. My garden couldn’t produce a Dragonfly, but a Small White and a Red Admiral were present this afternoon. Another check around my Moth Box and the surrounding area produced another Double-striped Pug and I also found a Marbled Beauty moth, which, incidentally, I didn't see this morning.

Above, a Red Admiral butterfly perched on my garden fence this afternoon and below, a Small White resting in my garden.

Above, Andy Fisher had this Southern Hawker dragonfly in his garden yesterday.

Last day of term.

Tuesday 22nd July 2025.

A cloudy day with some sunshine at times, though a few very light showers appeared around midday. The wind was a bit blustery at times, with a south-westerly which attracted a few seabirds offshore (Hayling Island from Sandy Point: 2 Arctic Skua's and a few Gannets). The Moth Box went on last night and it was the last day of term for St. Jude's Infant School.

The Moth Box:

One of two Jersey Tiger moths this morning.

It was back on with the Moth Box last night and it produced a total of 50 moths of 24 species. There was some overnight rain last night, but it mostly dried up on the garden patio when I arrived at the garden around 5.15am. There were a few interesting moths this morning that included two Jersey Tigers. It has been a good month for this species as I am hearing reports of very large numbers of these moths turning up in many Moth Traps. A Plumed Fan-foot narrowly escaped a spider, but I saved the day and quickly potted it after releasing it from a web. Another Dark Spectacle again this morning, but when will I get an actual Spectacle moth? Immigrant moths apart from those already mentioned, included a Silver Y, Diamond-back Moth, Rusty-dot Pearl and my first Rush Veneer in the garden for the year.

Above, a Dark Spectacle moth and below, the immigrant moth, a Rush Veneer.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

Macro moths:                              Micro moths:

Jersey Tiger x2                              Rush Veneer x1      

Common Rustic x2                       Brown Bark Moth x1

Plumed Fan-foot x1                      Bird-cherry Ermine x1

Dark Arches x1                             Diamond-back Moth x1

Pale Mottled Willow x2                Light Brown Apple Moth x19

Shuttle-shaped Dart x2                 Common Plume x3

Silver Y x1                                    Beautiful Plume x2 

Brimstone Moth x2                       Ruddy Streak x1

Bright-line Brown-eye x1             Black-banded Masoner x1

Dark Spectacle x1                         Common Masoner x1

Double-striped Pug x1                  Rusty-dot Pearl x1

Knot Grass x1                               Mint Moth x1

Pembroke Road, Southsea:

A number of Gulls, a Carrion Crow and a pair of Pied Wagtails were on Governor's Green first thing this morning.

I managed to get up to 12 species of birds on my first shift this morning of which four of those were Gulls. A fine adult Mediterranean Gull joined around 18 Black-headed Gulls on Governor’s Green along with a pair of Pied Wagtails and a Carrion Crow. Sadly, hardly anything of note flew over apart from a couple of distant Great Black-backed Gulls and no Swifts or House Sparrows noted today either.

Apart from the Buff-tailed Bumblebee’s, there were hardly any other insects around and only the one butterfly was seen here all day, a Large White. Today was the last day of the term and so the School Holidays begin and so I will probably not be back here till the start of September at Pembroke Road. It is an absolute pleasure helping the kiddies and their parents cross the road and I have met a few new friends during the last year here, which makes it all worthwhile.

Just some of the gifts from the kids and parents today.

Quiet in the Moth Box & a walk in the Cemy.

Sunday 20th July 2025.

This Common Field Grasshopper was in Highland Road Cemetery this afternoon.

At 5.30am this morning, another blustery, wet start to the day and again, I just potted a few moths on show outside of the Moth Box to avoid getting a soaking. After I had finished my Blog from yesterday's ventures, I then resumed checking out the inside of the Box.

My Moth Box:

The micro moth Tree-mallow Tortrix.

There were 52 moths of 26 species recorded this morning and for a change, there were no new Moths for the year. However, the Water Ermine from yesterday was still in exactly the same place as yesterday and I found a dead Elephant Hawk Moth at the back of the Box and possibly either died of old age or a Spider bite? I think the pick of the other Moths was a Tree-mallow Tortrix, a small micro moth that has a cryptic pattern on the whole of its body. I did notice there were a few Moths present from yesterday and so I might not have the Box on overnight.

Above, a couple of Mint Moths were on the white sheet early this morning and below, so was this Eupeodes species of Hoverfly.

The Moths recorded this morning were as follows:

Macro moths:                                    Micro moths:

Double-striped Pug x3                      Grey Knot-horn x1   

Lackey x1                                          Brown House Moth x1

Shuttle-shaped Dart x1                     Light Brown Apple Moth x9 

Common Rustic x3                           Beautiful Plume x4

Elephant Hawk-moth x1                   Common Plume x4

Brimstone Moth x2                            Common Masoner x2

Water Ermine x1                               Black-banded Masoner x1

Pale Mottled Willow x1                      Barred Yellowneck x1

Cloaked Minor x1                              Willow Ermine x5

Bright-line Brown-eye x1                   Apple Leaf Miner x1

Marbled Beauty x1                            Mint Moth x2

Large Yellow Underwing x1

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing x2

                                                           Rusty-dot Pearl x1

                                                           Tree-mallow Tortrix x1

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

A Red-tailed Bumblebee on the Knapweed.

The dogs got their afternoon walk over at Highland Road Cemetery; my local patch of which I have neglected for the last few weeks, but though there were hardly any birds seen during my hour there, I still thoroughly enjoyed just being there. The early morning rain had departed and this afternoon, there was plenty of sunshine though a few large clouds overhead and a southerly breeze keeping the temperature just right.

There were many flowering plants still in the Cemetery despite the dry conditions including above Field Bindweed and below, Yarrow.

OK, there were some birds seen or heard here, but nothing to take a photo of as most of the birds seen flew over at speed (Herring Gulls, Wood Pigeons, Magpies & a male Blackbird) or were just heard calling deep within cover (Robin & Blue Tit). However, there is always something to see here if you simply like nature like I do, no matter what it is and for example, there was a good variety of flowering plants to look at including clumps of Ragwort and the lovely purple flowers of Knapweed of which the Bees enjoyed. Yarrow was out in bloom in many areas and swathes of yellow Lady Bedstraw & Bird’s Foot-trefoil flowered between the graves, especially over on the southern end of the Cemy.

Above, Ragwort was abundant as was the Knapweed below.

Four species of butterfly were seen here on my walk that included at least two Red Admirals sunning themselves and also a couple of Common Blues that flew at speed low over the grass and out of view. Several Meadow Browns were encountered and a Speckled Wood loved the shady areas by the footpath. Finally, I found just the one Small White butterfly flicking about by some brambles over in the south-east corner. A Common Field Grasshopper sat well on a gravestone, though there are many here within the short, dry grass as I could hear them making their familiar noise throughout the Cemetery.

Above, it was still looking quite green in the Cemetery and below, one of two Red Admiral butteflies sunning itself.

I rarely encounter anyone camping in the Cemetery, but sometimes they do turn up. Hopefully, they will keep the place clean after them.

It was quiet here today with very few dog-walkers, but I did find someone's tent and belongings in a carrier bag partly hidden between some bushes. It's the sign of the times here in the UK that some people have to live rough and I suppose, what safer place than a Cemetery (that is locked at night) to reside in. I hope the owner is OK.

Broad-leaved Helleborine. This was growing just north of Farlington Marshes. Photo by Geoff Farwell.