Another new Moth for my Life List.

 Tuesday 11^th August 2026.

Another new moth for my Life List, a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER micro moth.

The warm weather continues and it is Thursday that is set to be the hottest day of the week as another heat wave envelopes the southern half of the UK. A clear blue sky overhead this morning and you would of thought it was a Winters morning as the temperature in my garden was most certainly in single figures. In fact, I wished I had worn a fleece instead of shorts and a Polo shirt! However, as the morning wore on, the temperature climbed dramatically as it got up to the mid 70’s by 11am.

My day, as per usual, kicked off with the Moth Box and I was rewarded with 106 moths of 39 species. In among them was a surprise Skeletonizer micro moth. Though I have seen this species before, I thought it was the Apple Leaf Skeletonizer, which I had my first ever one last year. However, on closer inspection, it was a FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER (Choreutis nemorana), which was a ‘Lifer’ and now added to my Moth Life List. Incredible stuff!

On a more serious note, the superb Firefighters had worked overnight again to contain the flames in the New Forest, by the A31, that was caused by a Van fire on Sunday evening. But again, a huge area of the New Forest is lost along with a lot of wildlife, and the Firefighters will be there for the next few days to make sure it stays under control.

 

My Moth Box:

My first Vestal moth of the year.

As well as the amazing news about the FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER, there was a host of excellent migrant Moths this morning that included my first Vestal of the year. This smart little moth is a sort after species for those into Moths and at last, one graced my Moth Box this morning on one of the egg trays. Other migrant Moths included up to FOUR Golden Twin-spots, a White-point, 2 Small Mottled Willow, Portland Ribbon Wave, Tree-lichen Beauty, 2 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella), 2 Dark-bordered Pearl (Evergestis limbate), 7 Rusty-dot Pearl (Udea ferrugellis) and an Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis).

Above, my first Common Wainscot moth of the year and below, one of two Dark-bordered Pearl moths.

Another Portland Ribbon Wave in my garden this morning.

Also present was my first Common Wainscot of the year on one of the egg trays with other notable Moths including 4 Garden Tigers, Blair’s Mocha and the micro moths Gold Triangle (Hypsopygia costalis) and Tree-mallow Tortrix (Crocidosema plebejana). The hottest day of the week is yet to come, so what Moths will that evening produce? Tomorrow evening should be interesting as a near full eclipse of the sun is to take place early evening and a meteor shower at night!

 

MACRO MOTHS	MICRO MOTHS
Garden Tiger x4	Common Plume x7
Golden Twin-spot 4	Apple Leaf Miner x9
Double-striped Pug 5	Box Tree Moth x3
Lime-speck Pug x2	Gold Triangle x1
Vestal * x1	Light Brown Apple Moth x7
Small Dusty Wave x5	Rush Veneer x2
Blair’s Mocha x1	Rusty-dot Pearl x7
White-point x1	FIG-LEAF SKELETONIZER x1
Garden Carpet x1	Dark-bordered Pearl x2
Riband Wave x1	Common Grass-moth x2
Shuttle-shaped Dart x5	Ruddy Streak x3
Bright-line Brown-eye x1	Olive-tree Pearl x1
L-album Wainscot 3	Tree-mallow Tortrix x1
Common Wainscot * x1	Hampshire Dowd x1
Common Rustic x5	Coleophora sp x1
Pale Mottled Willow x8	Meal Moth x1
Large Yellow Underwing x2
Small Mottled Willow x2
Marbled Beauty x2
Portland Ribbon Wave x1
Tree-lichen Beauty x1
Cloaked Minor x1

While checking the Moth Box, sadly no Willow Warblers calling deep within the gardens, but two very high-flying singing Swallows were heard only, somewhere high in the blue sky. When I took my dogs for their very early morning, I had just come out of Highland Terrace when I heard a juvenile Sparrowhawk flying overhead and I managed to get a few glimpses of the calling bird as it made its way south high over Highland Road Cemetery.

 

In Hampshire today:

A couple of Common Sandpipers on Titchfield Haven today. Photo by Daz Gorman.

At Titchfield Haven today, up to 7 Spoonbills graced the Reserve and 4 Common Sandpipers in front of the Meonshore Hide. On the beach at Hill Head, up to 89 Turnstone were present along with 4 Sanderling. 3 Curlew Sandpipers were on the Lake on Farlington Marshes, while over at Hook-with-Warsash, a Whinchat was present. An Osprey was reported over Eling Great Marsh, Southampton.

A Willow Warbler at Northney Paddocks. Photo by Andy Friend.

Away from Birds, both the Long-tailed Blue butterflies on Portsdown Hill and the Queen of Spain Fritillaries near Basingstoke were being reported today.