191 of 53 species last night in 22C Cambs #teamMoth including a Privet Hawk-moth larva on the buddliea near the trap (probably nothing to do with the UV) and a very large Large Thorn
David Bradley
@sciencebase.com
Wildlife Writer and Photographer Mostly moths, butterflies, and birds
157 of 47 in Cambs, 15C min temp #teamMoth Still 30+ Common Wainscot, ~14 Nutmeg and Turnip, 10 White-point and all the other usual suspects. Just 3x Jersey Tigers, less than half the number of most previous sessions since they emerged. And, a Copper Underwing agg, more info in the ALT text
88 of 31 moth species last night in 11C Cambs #teamMoth Common Wainscot still common, SSD and SMW not quite double figures. Straw Underwing has started to appear, their usual arrival date for me, early August
103 of 43 species in Cambs, it got down to 13C #teamMoth First couple of Straw Underwings of the year and a Small Ranunculus New for garden - Cochylidia implicitana, Chamomile Straw
Wet and 15C min in our Cambs garden last night, just 57 of 29 moths #teamMoth Always nice to see a Chinese Character and a Buff-tip or two
I've noticed several very small moth specimens recently, as have others. EHMs the size of Small EHMs, Dark Arches no bigger than a Flame Shoulder, and miniaturised Silver Y and Common Wainscot. Any thoughts #teamMoth ??? www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...
sciencebase.com
Suddenly realised our garden was like a tinderbox, all the dead wildflowers and the mounds of leaves and sticks left for the wildlife...would just takes a tiny spark from a neighbour's bbq or smouldering tab butt and we're done for. So, I've raked, compacted, and green-binned much of it
This one, Tawny-barred Angle, Macaria liturata, new for the year here, but have had it a couple of times in the past. Its scientific name could be translated as the "Blessed Smudgy One" or "Fortunate Blotched One" #teamMoth
NFG Tawny Wave, Scopula rubiginata #teamMoth Its scientific binomial loosely translates as "the little rusty brush"
Oak Processionary was new for the garden last night. This species is nominally Continental, but established in West London about 20y ago. It may well be spreading. Its larvae can defoliate oaks. Contact with their hairs can sometimes cause skin, eye, and lung irritation/damage
Oak Processionary in Cambs. 30th NFG of the year and 350th moth species for 2026 #teamMoth Photo later, if you're lucky ;-)
150 of 45 species, 22C, Cambs #teamMoth Another migrant among them, The Vestal (Rhodometra sacraria) named my Linnaeus for its pale yellow with a red-ish stripe purportedly resembling the robes of the Vestal Virgins, but Marren reckons he was thinking of the purple-striped toga of the Roman senate
Meanwhile, spam: Dear, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Windy, our company is a leading manufacturer of high-quality rubber magnets. I am reaching out to introduce our exceptional range of rubber magnets that are known for their superior magnetic strength and outstanding...
Seismologists replaced the Richter scale decades ago with the Moment Magnitude scale (Mw), which measures an earthquake's seismic moment rather than just the amplitude of seismic waves. This is a more accurate measure of the size of large earthquakes.
Numbers back up again last night, don't think it got below 19C in our Cambs garden 135 of 43 #teamMoth Still single figures of Jersey Tiger, but give it a couple of weeks and may well pass last year's record of 45 on one August night!
Big drop last night in Cambs #teamMoth 67 of 34 moths to synergetic (my "green" fluorescent UV tube). But always nice to see a Maiden's Blush*
One of 8 Red Underwing I counted on the Rothschild Bungalow at Woodwalton Fen NNR yesterday. Their camouflage works best against crusty bark rather than slats. And, there's no camo at all when they're in flight, bright flash of red, black, and white, no photo tho' #teamMoth
Almost forgot...Light Crimson Underwing too, first one in the garden since 2022 #teamMoth More about the "catocala underwing moths" here www.sciencebase.com/science-blog...
200 moths of 50 species last night, nice round numbers #teamMoth Cambs/VC29 17 Celsius min, rained at some point First Dark Spectacle for many years and Dusky Thorn No NFGs
Only previously seen the "rhubarb & custard" at Cherry Hinton Chalkpits. It turned up in the garden on my 8th anniversary of mothing - 24 Jul 2026 Oncocera semirubella, Rosy Knot-horn #teamMoth
8 Red Underwing on the Rothschild Bungalow at Woodwalton Fen today #teamMoth and a very vague possible sighting of the last of this year's Purple Emperor. Mrs Sciencebase did tick a Purple Hairstreak too! #ButterfliesAreMoths
132/47 VC29 17C #teamMoth NFG: Oncocera semirubella, Rosy Knot-horn (the Rhubarb & Custard moth) Photos later! NFY: Common Wave, Light Crimson Underwing
Newsletter for an org of which I'm a member: 'So, you want to start a podcast...' Just don't.
Hornet Mimic Hoverfly, Volucella zonaria. A species considered rare in the UK until the start of WWII, but still only really present in the South and South East. It's an insect of woodland-adjacent meadows, but quite happy to live in parks and gardens with flowers. This one on our buddleia
A juvenile Swallow (Hirundo rustica) You can almost sense the trepidation in its eye almost as if it knows it's got a huge flight to make in the coming weeks #BirdOfTheDay #EyeOfTheWild (More likely it was just worried about the big eye of my zoom lens staring at it from 20 metres away)
124 of 54 (incl 2x hummers before lighting-up time) #teamMoth New for the garden: very early Dusky-lemon Sallow
Dusky-lemon Sallow this evening, another NFM #teamMoth Photos tomorrow