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Mothing in 2024 🙄 Spent the afternoon searching for a micro-moth lifer in dense fog on the south Devon coast. Enteucha acetosae mines at Bolberry Down 👊🏼 One of the smallest moths in the world & a rare species in Devon

Delighted to find this Tree-lichen Beauty among a bumper haul (70 species) in my garden trap last night. It’s the first one I’ve seen in Devon and only my second ever. This species is spreading across England from the south-east, but doesn’t appear to be resident yet in Devon.

Delighted to be part of what promises to be a fantastic online event in January #WildSpaces #WildlifeGardening Butterfly Conservation 🦋

Nice to see Acleris aspersana (Small Rufous Tortrix) at a local limestone grassland at the weekend - only my third ever record of this species

This week’s Guardian Science Weekly podcast is all about butterflies - What’s happened to all the butterflies? theguardian.com/science/audio/…

Plenty of mines of Fomoria septembrella (Hypericum Dot) in evidence today on St John’s Wort at a local site in south Devon

Staying with friends near Worcester and absolutely thrilled with a lifer, Pale Eggar, in their garden last night

While ‘up country’ this weekend I took a few moments to spot some of the leaf mines we don’t have down my way - Stigmella aceris (Maple Dot) and Etainia louisella (Maple Seed Dot) on Field Maple in Worcs VC37

I don’t like to boast, but I’ve got some enormous Teasels this year #WildSpaces

A Grey Dagger moth caterpillar that I found yesterday at a local site. It was especially nice to see as I’d seen very few adults of this species during the summer.

Very pleased to find a mine of Antispila petryi (Dogwood Cutter) - first time I’ve seen this species in Devon (looks like there are only 5 previous records in the county). The black plates on the caterpillar’s back are distinctive.

Moth trapping conditions have been dreadful this weekend on the Cornish coast due to very strong winds. But leafmines have saved the day! The best were mines of Stigmella prunetorum (Scarce Blackthorn Dot), a Nationally Scarce moth and a new species for me.

Painted Lady on the Cornish coast yesterday- I’ve seen very few this year

A couple of rare Devon immigrants/wanderers on Monday night at Dawlish Warren with Barry Henwood - Latticed Heath & Tree-lichen Beauty

The soft beauty of a Portland Ribbon Wave moth. Quite a lot around in Devon at the moment - perhaps immigrants, perhaps locally established.

Yesterday I found a mine on Dogwood in which the larva was about to finish cutting out the oval in which it will drop to the ground to pupate. The dark spots along the body show that this is Antispila petryi (Dogwood Cutter) rather than A. metallella (Shining Dogwood Cutter).

Yet more evidence of the importance of nocturnal pollinators (particularly moths) for a commercial crop, pyrethrum. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111…

Astonished to find this Dialectica scalariella (Echium Stilt) in my south Devon garden moth-trap on Saturday morning. A fresh immigrant or progeny of the leaf mines that were around on the coast last autumn??

A warm night (haven’t been many of those in 2024!) on Saturday brought out a fair few moths at the local country park. Highlights were a brace each of Bulrush and Webb’s Wainscots

The marvellous Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) is our species of the month ✨ Learn all about these impressive insects and the phenomenal 9,000-mile journey they undertake ever year in our latest blog 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/… 📷: Iain H Leach