Rustic moth added to year total.

 Monday 13^th July 2026

My first Rustic moth of the year.

A breezy and cool start to the morning here in Southsea and it was back to the Moth Box first thing this morning. I wasn’t expecting too many Moths this morning and after last weeks 100 plus Moths most days, it was back to half that now. There was just the one new Moth for the year, but some nice Moths among the haul today.

Pembroke Road was quiet again with the birds, but there was a few interesting insects on show on my first shift here this morning. The Night Heron at Miller's Pond, Southampton, was showing well again this morning to at least 10.30am. My early morning walk with the dogs produced a couple of Moth sightings and perched on the shop windows along Highland Road were a Double-striped Pug and a Buff Ermine!

 

My Moth Box:

One of four Golden Twin-spot moths today.

As mentioned, the Moth numbers have dropped considerably from last week with only 56 moths of 24 species recorded this morning. A Rustic moth was my first of the year and if I didn’t check it on Obsidentify, I would of easily claimed it as a Vine’s Rustic; however, the more rectangular shape and blunt end to the wings was noticeable. A good Moth for the year.

One of two August Thorns.

Up to FOUR Golden Twin-spots were present of which I might add is a very uncommon Moth in the UK. Possibly, they are breeding here on the south coast, but these did coincide with an influx of 11 Silver Y moths! Other migrating moths from the Continent included a Small Mottled Willow and 5 Rusty-dot Pearls. It is always good to get a Hawk-moth in the trap and so an Elephant Hawk-moth is always most welcome. Two August Thorns added as splash of colour.

Comfrey Ermine. My second of the year.

Among the ‘micro moths’, my second Comfrey Ermine of the year was sat on top of the Rain guard as was my second Larch Bud Moth of the year.

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Golden Twin-spot x4	Blushed Knot-horn
Rustic * x1	Willow Ermine x1
Silver Y x11	Hampshire Dowd x6
Double-striped Pug x1	Common Plume x1
Elephant Hawk-moth x1	Brown House Moth x1
Small Mottled Willow x1	Comfrey Ermine x1
Shuttle-shaped Dart x1	Tawny Sycamore Piercer x1
Least Carpet x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x8
Riband Wave x1	Apple Leaf Miner x1
August Thorn x2	Italian Bark Moth x1
	Large Pale Masoner x2
	Rusty-dot Pearl x5
	Rosy Tabby x1
	Larch Bud Moth x1

 

Other insects attracted to my Moth Box overnight included several Lacewings, a Buff-tailed Bumblebee and at least 3 Harlequin Ladybirds. A Common Rustic moth was found at the back of the garden while I was washing the patio down after my first shift.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

Another very bright sunny day here from Pembroke Road.

It was cool on my first shift this morning, with a breezy north-easterly keeping the temperature down to bearable! Once again, it was a clear blue sky overhead, but the number of bird species seen or heard this morning was low again. I managed to get up to 10 species in all and what with this afternoon being called off because of the heat, the best bird seen here today went to the showy Jay that flew over my head and into the nearby Sycamore trees on the opposite side of the road. It remained there for some time before flying on to the next tree.

I have been seeing this insect over the past few weeks and finally, this one settled nicely on the Hibiscus Bushes. It is a Yellow-striped Darwin Wasp (Ichneumon xanthorius).

Both the parent Wrens were busy flying back and forth to their young within their nest. The male bird was having a quick sing now and then, seen perched on a nearby garden wall. The usual Buff-tailed Bumblebee’s were back and forth to the flowering Hibiscus bushes and at least four Carnation Tortrix moths were fluttering about among the plants.  I did take a photo of one perched on one of the bushes, but it came out awful on my phone. Hurrumph! However, the photo I took of a Yellow-striped Darwin Wasp, a species of Ichneumon Wasp, walking over the leaves of one of the Hibiscus bushes actually came out OK!