An excellent selection of Moths today.

 Monday 4th May 2026.

Rustic Shoulder-knot.

An overcast start to the morning with a very light northerly wind and relatively mild at 6am. I was back out in the garden early this morning to check on my Moth Box and I was actually pleased that there was a good variety of Moths present that included 7 moths that were new for the year.

My Moth Box:

The micro moth Brassy-Y (Argyresthia goedartella). A very small micro and not too easy to get a sharp photo of this attractive moth.

On the white sheet behind the Moth Box, there was a Willow Beauty and my first Rustic Shoulder-knot of the year. A second Willow Beauty sat on my neighbours kitchen roof panel nearby. Within the Moth Box, upon the egg trays, I found my first Cabbage Moth and Vine’s Rustic of the year; while outside the Moth Box, my first Treble-lines was sat on the fence panel behind the Box. On the Moth Box rainguard, new moths present included a Least Black Arches, though I had to rescue it as it sat on a puddle of rain water. Two more micro moths on the rainguard included the tiny Brassy-Y, Dark Moss-moth and a Brown House Moth, all new for the year.

Above, Treble-lines and below, the micro moth Dark Moss-moth.

Above, a Cabbage Moth and below, a Vine's Rustic; both new for the year.

The Moths present this morning included the following:

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Bright-line Brown-eye x2	Light Brown Apple Moth x1
Rustic Shoulder-knot* x1	Ruddy Streak x4
Cabbage Moth* x1	Brown House Moth* x1
Double-striped Pug x2	Rusty-dot Pearl x1
Treble-lines* x1	Dark Moss-moth* x1
Angle Shades x1	Brassy-Y * x1
Willow Beauty x2
Vine’s Rustic* x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5
Pale Mottled Willow x1
Least Black Arches* x1

Above, the Cockchafer Beetle in the Moth Box.

Other notable sightings here this morning included a Cockchafer Beetle and a Batman Hoverfly within the Moth Box and overhead, up to 9 Swallows were heard and then seen and a pair of Goldfinches flew south over my garden. A Linnet was heard flying over and four Swifts whizzing past overhead chasing each other.