My first London trap for a while, and a decent (for here) 230:46. Delicate was #474 for the roof terrace, while Small Ranunculus was also NFY. The rest included Vestal, 3 Acrobasis tumidana, 10 Small Mottled Willow, 5 Rush Veneer, 2 RDP, 3 Clancy's Rustic. #TeamMoth

Another lifer for me last night in the really smart gelechid Aristotelia ericinella. Other moths on the Hampshire heath included Pyrausta purpuralis and Mirificarma mulinella, both NFY, and a pristine Black Arches. #TeamMoth

Two of this morning's moths were passed by Barry Henwood, the Devon CMR. He's happy that the 1st is Pammene spiniana (NS-B), and agrees that the 2nd looks like Sciota rhinella, but ideally would be dissected as it's a first for Devon. Guess which one of the two I have in the fridge... 🙄 #TeamMoth

A very busy 946:121 in the Devon moth trap this morning 🥵. A couple with the CMR... 10 NFY, included Silver Hook - not on my radar for the garden, and the first I've ever trapped; the migrant White-speck, Canary-shouldered Thorn and Vapourer. Passed 700 species for the year now... #TeamMoth

#AI #writers #authors

Bit of an anticlimax really. The difference between 93% and 100% is greater than 7%.

Anyone else firing up their trap for the eclipse? #TeamMoth

Chat shit, get commissioned 💪🏻😅 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Farage has turned Clacton into a human zoo. Here’s the truth about what’s happening here | Sarah Elizabeth Cox

When I moved to the town in 2022 I loved the beach walks, cheap drinks and panoramic coastal views. Now it feels like a never-ending circus, says historian Sarah Elizabeth Cox

theguardian.com

Migrants very much to the fore to the Devon moth trap amongst 486:101 overnight. Cosmopolitan was a lifer for me, while Scarce Bordered Straw and Pearly Underwing were NFY. Five other NFY included Ypsolopha dentella, species #510 for the garden. #TeamMoth

This was in the moth trap this morning - could it be Nabis capsiformis? Of course I didn't think to keep it (only a bug after all... 🙄). #TeamMoth

A few more from the Pont Aven this morning. Three of the 5 species of Shearwater seen - Great, Manx and Sooty (honest!), all in British waters. Also a distant boiling sea at one point - tuna?

A bit of cetacean action from the Pont Aven between Santander and Plymouth (currently mid Channel): Cuvier's Beaked Whale surfacing and then breaching; plus Common and Bottlenose Dolphins. Didn't manage to get a shot of the Risso's but overall not unhappy with the sightings (if not the photos).

In case you missed it, you can now stream the superb lecture by @lucyvandorp.bsky.social on Bentham and Beyond: Genomes, Collections and Collaboration where she explores the extraction of DNA from historical objects and people. Watch it now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwYt...

Bentham and Beyond: Genomes, Collections and Collaboration

YouTube video by UCL Lunch Hour Lectures

youtube.com

Farming always plays the victim Guardian article www.theguardian.com/environment/... My take on it markavery.info/2026/08/05/f... #drought #food #wheat #land

Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Emergent patterns of island biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Human impacts substantially affect our ability to detect and understand natural biodiversity patterns.

science.org

The largest cause of deforestation is, and has been, the expansion of farmland. But the production of which products, in particular, has been driving this in recent decades? A recent study, published in Nature Food by Chandrakant Singh and Martin Persson, answered this question.

Species I was not expecting to visit the Galician swimming pool #1: Melodious Warbler.

Neoliberalism in a nutshell. UEFA on FIFA's proposal: “The moment external investors acquire ownership interests ... football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. ... Every decision is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders.”

Seabird numbers from the Plymouth - Santander ferry well down on this trip 3 years ago, though that was 3 weeks later. Still, Great (📸), Cory's, Sooty and Manx (📸) Shearwaters and European Storm-petrel in UK waters. Also 6 Fin/Sei Whales (Bay of Biscay) and lots of Common Dolphin. #UKBirding

A surprising drop in trap numbers in the Devon garden overnight, with "just" 399:98. One potential NFM in this tiny Phyllocnistis c.f. unipunctella (awaiting the CMR's view). #TeamMoth

A ridiculous moth trap in Devon overnight: 516:118, with at least 2 lifers, 7 NFG and 14 NFY. Highlights (aside from the Underwing) were Loxostege sticticalis (NFM), Small Marbled (my 3rd), Twin-spotted Wainscot, and Radford's Flame Shoulder. Strong indicators of migration. #TeamMoth

From this morning's catch - the 500th moth species for the Devon garden. Sometimes a milestone is notched with something undistinguished, and then sometimes it's reached with a beast. This Rosy Underwing was very much the latter - also a lifer, and my first Catocala here. #TeamMoth

Numbers in the Devon garden down overnight, probably thanks to the stronger wind. Still 303:86 though, and one NFG in this Euzophera pinguis. Possibly a first for the Bere Peninsula, and species #499 for the garden - what will be #500? #TeamMoth

A fair few migrants in the Devon garden this morning, including: Ni Moth 2 Silver Y 12 Small Mottled Willow 5 Vestal 1 Palpita vitrealis 2 Rusty-dot Pearl 16 Rush Veneer 2 Diamond-back Moth 1 #TeamMoth

Lovely round numbers, with 350:100 in the Devon garden overnight. One NFG in the tiny form of Bucculatrix ulmella. A further 11 NFY included Jersey Mocha, Brown-veined Wainscot and a rather stripy Southern Wainscot (which had me looking up Oblique Wainscot, but not this time...) #TeamMoth

Waiting to empty the traps as we're experiencing a strange phenomenon here where water falls from the sky. Still, more than 40 species already just from the moths around the traps, including this less than virgin Vestal, so fingers crossed for what's inside... #TeamMoth

The joys of a Devon moth trap - a decent 270:90, with 12 NFY. The latter included an uncooperative Gem, rather worn Slender Brindle and Oncocera semirubella, and a smart Evergestis limbata. Commonest moth - Small Mottled Willow x22. The new normal? #TeamMoth

A hot day here in Devon, but clear skies, temperature dropping quickly and a big moon. Let’s see what happens…

Hummingbird Hawk-moth (one of at least 4) and Treble-bar from the Devon garden this afternoon. It helps get a focused shot of the former when they decide to have a break. #TeamMoth

Arrived in Devon to find Silver Y, Hummingbird Hawk, Painted Lady and Small Tortoiseshell all nectaring in the garden. A good sign, or just getting my hopes up? #TeamMoth