As the temperatures started to increase to the level where most people in Britain, complain that it is now "too hot", the conditions for moths become more productive. I decided that as I was working on early shifts for this period, I wouldn't be able to venture very far on the evenings as I needed to be up at 4am to get ready - this meant any recording would have to be done at home. As you know from my previous session at home (Marvellous Moths - Introduction) my yard is in the middle of terraced streets, suffers from light pollution, but does have some favourable habitat, fanning out from the ends of the street.
I will summarise the highlights for each night and point out any notable records for my yard. It should be noted that any duplication of species/numbers on the 2nd night are different moths to the first. Moths from 29/06 were retained to ensure that there was no duplication of data.
29/06/2025
On the night of the 29th, 47 moths from 20 species were recorded. The most prevalent moth was Bird-Cherry Ermine which contributed to 21 of the 47 moths.
The first moth we will look at is going to be from the micro section of the moth book in the form of Argyresthia cupressella.
Argyresthia cupressella (Cypress Tip Moth)
Argyresthia cupressella
Size: 8-9mm wingspan
Flight Season: June - July
Larval Foodplant: Cypress & Juniper
Total Records: 1,047 Total Specimens: 1,708
Confusion Species: Argyresthia dilectella (Juniper Tip Moth)
This tiny character doesn't actually originate from the UK and was actually first introduced from North America through the plant trade - being imported with conifers. It first appeared in the UK in 1997 where it was discovered in Woodbridge, Suffolk. From then this species has spread northwards and by 2014 it had appeared in all five Yorkshire Vice-Counties. Numbers have plateaued in recent years despite the rapid increase, however can and will still be found where Cypress & Juniper grow.
Our next moth always provides a nice bit of colour variation and shape to the early mornings. Interestingly of note this species I have never actually found in my moth trap at home - always perched somewhere nearby - usually on the side of a plant pot. That species is the Swallow-Tailed Moth.
Swallow-Tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)
Swallow-Tailed Moth
Size: 22-30mm forewing
Flight Season: June - August
Larval Foodplant: Varied trees & shrubs - preferring Ivy
Total Records: 11,750 Total Specimens: 21,041
Confusion Species: n/a
This large and potentially very vibrant species continues to be a common and widespread moth, across Yorkshire. The larvae whilst predominantly feeding on broad-leaved trees, meaning the species favours woodland habitat, the adults can be seen frequently flying in gardens. There are hints at second broods appearing with records now being found in October and even stretching into Early November with favourable conditions.
The final moth for the 29th comes in the form of a little green gem - that when fresh is a vibrant mix of greens and blacks, however like all moths of similar colours they do fade and wear quickly. That moth is V-Pug (and not it doesn't look like a dog). 🤣
V-Pug (Chloroclystis v-ata)
V-Pug
Size: 9-11mm forewing
Flight Season: May-June (1st Brood) & July-August (2nd brood - moths generally larger)
Larval Foodplant: Lots! Favours elder and brambles however is not a picky eater.
Total Records: 2,412 Total Specimens: 2,880
Confusion Species: Green Pug
The V-Pug is a fairly common and widespread moth across Yorkshire, however when it is seen, it is generally only in records of 1 or 2. Within Yorkshire 95% of records fall into this category. Annually, there are probably around 100-150 specimens recorded each year on average, having gone through a little bit of a recovery since 2012, where there was a large drop-off, with only 18 specimens recorded for that year. Saying that, last year there was another decline, with only 86 specimens in 2024 compared to 320 in 2023 (the most in the last 25 years) - a decline of 73%! This record though does present as a new one for the 2km Tetrad where my house is which is always a nice addition, and another gap filled in on the distribution map of Yorkshire Moths.
30/06/2025
Now I know Hawk-Moths get a lot of limelight within the moth world - and rightly so, however if you are an experienced moth-er chasing those rarer species I appreciate they can become a bit one track - heard it all before. However I have to mention them here with a little back story. In my yard I have never recorded a live Hawk-Moth of any species. I did find a deceased one (Elephant Hawk-Moth) several years ago, that had obviously made its way towards the trap before (and I can only assume based on the look) being battered about by one of the local cats. 😢. Fast forward to the previous session - I did get very excited as there was 1 Elephant Hawk-Moth in there - however we shall just skip to this session and upon checking the trap I was blown away as perched around the egg cartons were 4 more! This meant I had gone from having only the deceased one to 5 fresh and flying Elephant Hawk-Moths in 2 nights! As mentioned earlier there was no duplication as the other specimen was retained.
Elephant Hawk-Moth (File photo)
For more information on this species I will refer you back to a previous blog to save repetition (Marvellous Moths - Askham Bog).
Overall in this session 67 moths from 31 species were recorded with some interesting highlights both for the yard and a personal level (not that the addition of the EHMs wasn't interesting) - so lets have a look at a couple of the others.
The first moth we shall take an in-depth look at is a new species for me and naturally with that new for the yard too - Dingy Shell.
Dingy Shell
Dingy Shell (Euchoeca nebulata)
Size: 9-12mm forweing
Flight Season: May-August
Larval Foodplant: Alder
Total Records: 420 Total Specimens: 498
Confusion Species: Small Yellow Wave & Rannoch Looper
This little delight is actually quite a good record for a couple of reasons. Firstly is just the small number of them, that have been recorded over the years. It wasn't until 2009 that in the whole of Yorkshire there was double digits recorded across the county in a single year. Since then the species has been on a steady rise peaking in 2023 with 88 specimens recorded. However in 2024 this decreased sharply by nearly 80%, falling to just 18 specimens. Secondly the larvae of this distinctive moth - which sports a raised wing position, feed solely on Alder and with that this species generally doesn't make it into gardens too far from the larval foodplant. I can only assume that in the small wooded areas at the park or in the cemetery nearby there is a localised patch of Alder to support the species in some way.
This record also marks only the 2nd for Scarborough (within the town limits) with the first being recorded in 1883 - some 142 years ago. The next closest records are out at Wykeham with 6 specimens over the years.
The final moth we shall take a closer look at is one that seems to be having a particularly good year in Yorkshire, so it probably comes as no surprise to have found one in the yard - Muslin Footman.
Muslin Footman
Muslin Footman (Nudaria mundana)
Size: 10-12mm forewing
Flight Season: June - August
Larval Foodplant: Lichens that grow on rocks/walls/fences/gateposts/bushes
Total Records: 3,564 Total Specimens: 16,972
Confusion Species: Round-Winged Muslin
The Muslin Footman is a local resident within Yorkshire currently favouring it seems anywhere but South-East Yorkshire, although there are several records over the past years from the Spurn Point area. The species has increased since the turn of the century from when there was just 101 specimens in 2000-2002 compared to 1,950 in the last 3 years and in turn a stable population, year on year.
I will finish off with a list for each day of the moths that were recorded and of course the usual thanks to everyone who contributes to making this blog possible.
Moths Recorded 29/06
Agapeta hamana 1
Argyresthia cupressella 1
Bird-Cherry Ermine 21
Brown House Moth 1
Buff Arches 1
Buff Ermine 1
Common Pug 2
Dusky Brocade 1
Elephant Hawk-Moth 1
Eudonia lacustrata 1
Heart & Dart 2
Light Brown Apple Moth 1
Marbled Beauty 3
Riband Wave 4
Small Magpie 1
Smoky Wainscot 1
Swallow-Tailed Moth 1
Uncertain/Rustic Agg. 1
V-Pug 1
White Satin 1
Moths Recorded 30/06
Agapeta hamana 2
Beautiful Hook-Tip 1
Bird-Cherry Ermine 8
Bright-Line Brown-Eye 1
Buff Arches 1
Burnished Brass 1
Cabbage Moth 2
Chrysoteuchia culmella 6
Dark/Grey Dagger 2
Dingy Shell 1
Elephant Hawk-Moth 4
Eudonia sp. 2
Fan Foot 2
Heart & Dart 2
Large Yellow Underwing 5
Light Emerald 1
Marbled Beauty 6
Marbled Minor Agg. 3
Muslin Footman 1
Poplar Grey 1
Riband Wave 3
Small Blood-Vein 1
Small Dusty Wave 1
Small Magpie 2
Small Rivulet 1
Smoky Wainscot 1
Snout 2
Stenoptilia sp. 1
Swallow-Tailed Moth 1
Tachystola acroxantha 1
Willow Beauty 1
If you have made it this far, thank you once again for taking the time out of your day to have a read - any suggestions on format etc are greatly appreciated.
Thanks must be added to the following organisations/websites where some of this data has been extracted:
All of the moth recorders, County Recorders, Vice County Co-ordinators and website admins who make all of this data - make sense!
No comments:
Post a Comment