A rather splendid and unexpected late emergence in the shed today from overwintered pupae -

Ancylis unculana, collected as a larva on Buckthorn at Magdalen Hill Down in October. I'd pretty much given up hope on this one! #MothsMatter

Male Long-horned Bee (Eucera longicornis) on Bugle at Caerwent, Monmouthshire today. It's always a pleasure to see these amazing bees.

Probably the best thing I've ever seen on Twitter. #MothsMatter

Almost identical scenes at my Cardiff moth trap last night. Almost.

After a pretty dire start to the moth trapping year in my Cardiff garden, this Alder Kitten was very welcome indeed.
1st garden record in the 18th year of trapping here. And she laid eggs overnight - looking forward to rearing the caterpillars with the kids. #MothsMatter

Eucosma aspidiscana on the foodplant Goldenrod & Barred Tooth-striped caterpillar on Wild Privet.

Only found two Barred Tooth-striped and both full grown - looked like some had already gone off to pupate. Earlier than the norm for this the only Welsh site. #MothsMatter

Tree Snipefly (Chrysopilus laetus), a chance sighting on a family visit to Dyffryn Gardens NT/YG Gerddi Dyffryn at the weekend. 1st Welsh record of this scarce fly. Associated with old trees with dead/decaying wood - plenty of nice parkland trees at Dyffryn. Thanks to Martin Harvey for help with the ID.

After a long hiatus, my extreme mothing talk makes another appearance next week… #MothsMatter

And we are a-go for #swift season 2024!!

Our male just arrived home from migration. He's at least 11 yrs old + this is his 9th season with us. He's caused a lot of drama in that time - cheating, divorce, rekindled bonds, infanticide. Let's see what this summer brings!

I like pug moths (and I cannot lie). This Golden-rod Pug emerged today, the 3rd adult from pupae kept in the shed over winter. Originally found as a caterpillar on Goldenrod on a local site in Glamorgan back in September 2023. #MothsMatter

The shady passageway by our house has just a single small patch of nettles, but these nettles are home to lots of Snout and Mother of Pearl moth caterpillars. Last year, Red Admiral & Comma butterflies bred here too. Scruffy urban corners like this are so important for nature.

Phyllonorycter lautella emerged in the shed recently, from leaf-mines on seedling oaks collected at Parc Slip NR in the autumn. It wasn't very compliant and my photo doesn't do justice to its metallic splendour. #MothsMatter