Steve Keen

A milder night in SW Hants, and an increase to 118 of 50.
Just one NFY, a tatty Neocochylis molliculana.
Blood-vein pic included because it posed nicely and they're one of the absolute best in my opinion.

Garden year = 498
Hants year = 526

#teammoth

It was fairly cold this way too, but I didn't trap Monday night and am missing Friday and Saturday nights so wanted to get some mothing in.

I get very few, and it's meant to be more of a southern species.

A very subdued night in SW Hants, with just 67 of 33 recorded.
Straw Underwing the only NFY.
Vestal, 2nd of the year, the highlight with other @migrantmothuk.bsky.social just 4 Rush Veneer, 2 Rusty-dot Pearl and maybe the Blair's Mocha.

#teammoth

Wednesday or Thursday nights please 🤞

One day I'll bag a single semirubella, until then it'll stay top of the wish list.

Making Mrs K a cuppa (and obviously myself at the same time while the pot's in play) for when her alarm goes off is my only distraction until it's time for work

I've never had Dark despite my location.
And haven't had quite a few LC ever, maybe half a dozen in total.
I'd done my processing by 7 despite not starting until 5.15.

Surprisingly my first Catocala of the year.
Not that I get loads, but would've expected Red or Light Crimson by now, and certainly before Rosy!

Interesting.
As the attached map shows (copied from the excellent hantsmoths website) my (red dot) record is in a bit of an empty space for what is otherwise a pretty common Hampshire moth.

2/2

Four other NFY included Musotima nitidalis & a battered Small Rufous.

Potential @migrantmothuk.bsky.social were the Rosy Underwing and Langmaid's of course, plus Palpita vitrealis, 3 Rush Veneer, 1 Bird-cherry Ermine, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Cydia amplana but no Diamondbacks.

#teammoth

142 of 63 in a muggy SW Hants last night included some real quality: Lathronympha strigana was NFM (in a new 10km square). Rosy Underwing NFY (only 4 records in Hants to 2023, 2 of which were together in my garden on 16/9/23!), as was Langmaid's Yellow U (3rd garden record).

#teammoth

1/2

And interesting to speculate how many individuals of even our common resident stuff has actually come from much further afield.

83 of 46 in SW Hants last night, nothing new.
Signs of @migrantmothuk.bsky.social : Palpita vitrealis, Rusty-dot Pearl, 2 Rush Veneer, 2 Diamondback.
Also, a Jersey Tiger I removed from the trap, rather than diving for cover flew up and up until it was just a dot before heading off north.

#teammoth

No I don't unfortunately.
I haven't trapped every year since I started and last year was the first in which I properly kept totals.
Unfortunately I seem to have started with an especially poor year followed by an especially good one, so still none the wiser 😂

Ah, sorry about that 🤐

But thanks nonetheless.

July's year-on-year comparison is easy due to an identical number of trapping nights:

July 2024: 3144 from 20 traps
July 2025: 4814 from 20 traps

August was last year's best mothing so it'll be interesting to see how this month shapes up.

#teammoth

In fairness it probably wasn't 😂
It was breezier than is ideal, so they were keeping very low but still swarming in places. Less of a wind and a couple or more degrees and they would've been phenomenal.

Not complaining, I hasten to add!!

A few hours at Martin Down (VC 9) this morning was quiet moth-wise, with Shaded Broad-bar the only NFY.
Butterflies were dominated by Chalkhill Blues, with 435 counted (male & female shown); also a single Adonis Blue

#teammoth

DM is more or less one a year here.

103 of 47 in SW Hants last night, inc Dingy Mocha & Scrobipalpa costella NFY.
Also a Copper Underwing sp which crawled under the garage felt and will have to stay unidentified (but all recent records here have been Copper).

Garden year = 489
Hants year = 516

#teammoth

Considering yesterday got up to a very sticky 26°C last night's return of 138 of 56 is definitely filed under "disappointing".
A still-alive-but-battered Tawny-barred Angle rescued from a spider's web the only NFY.
11 Rush V, 8 Diamondback, 3 R-d P, 2 amplana @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

#teammoth

Slight increase to 114 of 52 in SW Hants last night.
Autumnal feel with Six-striped Rustic & Square-spot Rustic NFY (also camera-shy Small Seraphim).

Potential @migrantmothuk.bsky.social represented by 6 Diamondback, 5 Rush Veneer, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 White-point, 1 Turnip

#teammoth

This was my 16th of the year, finished last year on 26.
By contrast Elephant is 121 vs 40, Privet 9 vs 4 & Pine 13 vs 5.
Don't get enough of the other three to be statistically relevant.

99 of 49 on a cool SW Hants night.
Phyllonorycter quercifoliella (best I could do with a pic) was NFG, Vestal & Chequered Fruit-tree Tortrix NFY.
Poplar Hawk nice as it's one of few spp to have had a poor year.
Other @migrantmothuk.bsky.social 6 D-back, 6 Rush Veneer, 1 Palpita vitrealis.

#teammoth

Got lucky with this one: I have my usual route in my favourite Inclosure, but this morning I took a side track and jumped over the stream and that's where this was flushed. Never done it before.
I do enjoy a bit of daytime mothing!

Didn't trap last night, but 48 of 12 this morning in a couple of hours in the south of the New Forest.
@migrantmothuk.bsky.social Diasemiopsis ramburialis was the highlight and a big surprise, but Bordered Beauty, Beautiful China-mark, Rosy Footman & Blood-vein were nice too.

#teammoth

The sort of slightly hooked appearance to the corner of wing; Smoky's is rounded

Had a few of those earlier in the year, but none recently.

Definitely tonight off!!

An unexpectedly quieter night in SW Hants, with "just" 176 of 72.
Palpita vitrealis the only NFY; @migrantmothuk.bsky.social otherwise much reduced, eg: 3 Rush Veneer, 4 Diamondbacks.

#teammoth