Awash with Moth 'Year-ticks'!

 

Thursday 9^th July 2026.

This Lime Tuft micro moth was new for the year.

The heatwave continues here in the southern half of the UK with temperatures well into the mid-eighties! The Moth Box is still recording some large numbers of Moths and more are being added to my huge Year List. Pembroke Road is still producing all the usual birds and I am glad the Coal Tits are still around in the area. Nationally, an incredibly rare bird to the UK has turned up in Scotland. In the tiny village of Crail, Fife; the UK’s second only Long-tailed Shrike has been found and judging by the images on Facebook; what a stunning bird. It looks crossed between a Lesser Grey and Red-backed Shrike!

My Moth Box:

One of twenty Willow Ermine moths this morning.

A whopping 174 moths of 53 species this morning and the micro moths easily outnumbered the macro moths today. Though no new macro moths for the year, there were SEVEN new micro moths for the year that included Willow Ermine (Yponomeuta rorrella), which has a distinctive darker edge to the wings; Pine Marble (Piniphila bifasciana), Gold-barred Marble (Celypha aurofasciana) which is a scarce and local species here in Southern England; Lime Tuft (Bacculatrix thoracella), Dingy Concealer (Borkhausenia fuscescens), Tree-mallow Tortrix (Crocidosema plebejana) and finally, the Larch Bud Moth (Zeiraphera griseana).

Above, the Tree-mallow Tortrix. An annual visitor to my garden.

Above, the Gold-barred Marble and below, the Pine Marble micro moths. Both new for the year.

Up to FOUR Elephant Hawk-moths were recorded and other notable Moths included a Jersey Tiger, Least Carpet, Cloaked Minor, Plumed Fan-foot, Clancy’s Rustic and the Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Jersey Tiger x1	Apple Leaf Miner x24
Single-dotted Wave 2	Willow Ermine * x20
Riband Wave x4	Pine Marble * x2
Small Mottled Willow x4	Gold-barred Marble * x1
Double-striped Pug x3	Mother of Pearl x3
Least Carpet x2	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
Plumed Fan-foot x1	Long-horned Flat-body x1
Elephant Hawk-moth x4	Barred Yellowneck x1
Cloaked Minor x1	Garden Grass-veneer x6
Common Rustic x2	Meal moth x1
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Bird-cherry Ermine x14
Langmaid’s Yellow Underwing x4	Common Plume x33
Lime-speck Pug x2	Lime Tuft * x1
Riband Wave x2	Beautiful Plume x2
Common Footman x1	Large Pale Masoner x4
Marbled Beauty x1	Dingy Concealer * x1
Clancy’s Rustic x1	Box Tree Moth x1
Lackey x1	Chestnut Tortrix x4
Marbled Minor x1	Golden-brown Tubic x4
Dark Arches x1	Tawny Sycamore Piercer x1
Common Emerald x1	Elderberry Pearl x2
Turnip Moth x1	Garden Grey x5
	Ruddy Streak x4
	Tree-mallow Tortrix *x1
	Light Brown Apple Moth x9
	Rosy Tabby x2
	Hampshire Dowd x3
	Grey Knot-horn x4
	Larch Bud Moth * x1

 

While checking the Moth Box early this morning, as well as numerous Swifts sailing overhead, a Yellow Wagtail flew high over and although I never saw the bird, its distinctive call gave it away. Both Greenfinch and a Goldfinch also flew over.

 

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

There was a nice breeze blowing down Pembroke Road this morning, which helped a little to keep the temperature down. A Coal Tit was heard to call deep within the Holm Oaks and all the usual birds were present with up to 13 bird species noted, including the Wren that was flying back and forth to its nest nearby.

Both Red Admiral and a couple of Small White butterflies were seen flying along the road. I have just heard that a small colony of Brown Hairstreak butterflies has been discovered over the Waterlooville area; a species that I have only ever seen once and that was in a Denmead Pub garden!