Migrant Lepidoptera

Belated news from 25/4 in St Mellion. A 2nd Striped Hawk-moth (H. livornica) was netted during the evening, feeding on purple rhododendron. It was showing no interest in the lights. This was a different specimen to the previous night, which was marked & released 2 miles away.

@BC_Norfolk ...that's worrying, based on such evidence.

A 1st for Norfolk.A record for Southern Small White seen in Salthouse by Oscar Lawrence last September has been verified by our County Recorder. 📷 Oscar Lawrence

@dgcountryside @SteveNash71 Sorry Dave, I don't check X very often. Mostly from the north. Things looking promising again from Thursday.

@SteveNash71 @MigrantMothUK where are your winds from right now?

A big surprise in the rap this morning, among 111 moths of 38 species. 1 Striped Hawk-moth (H. livornica) 7 Dark Sword-grass (A. ipsilon) 1 Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua) 7 Silver Y (A. gamma) 2 Angle Shades (P. meticulosa) St. Mellion, SE Cornwall (VC2) on 24/4.

It was exciting that Laois received some migrant moths on 7th April: 3 x Small Mottled Willow to one of my traps and 4 x Diamond-back moth seen near my traps that night. #teammoth @MigrantMothUK

Rush Veneer in last nights trap in Laois. It was quite worn so perhaps it has been in the country for a while. #teammoth @MigrantMothUK

I somehow missed the record of 228 Small Mottled Willow, taken at light in Scarborough, N. Yorkshire on 7/9/2024 (A. Rodda). Can anyone beat 228?

The total of 205 Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua), recorded by M. Scott on St Mary's, Isles of Scilly on 8/4 appears to be the highest ever total taken on one night in the UK. I believe the previous record was 165, taken at Portland Bird Obs, Dorset on 11/2/04 @trapsite 1/2

Small Mottled Willow (Spodoptera exigua) from Dartmoor yesterday. A single individual attracted to light. @MigrantMothUK #TeamMoth

2/2 Interestingly, the Feb 04 influx was also traced back to Mauritania/Western Sahara by Peter Davey: the likely origin of the latest influx. The large numbers of exigua were also noted in S. Spain, with counts of 610 & 750 in Andalucia on 7-8th April @trapsite

One of the many Painted Lady butterfly in the @TrescoGarden 8.4.26 @Cornwall_BC @MigrantMothUK @TrescoBreaks @eButterfly_org #butterfly

Plenty of Painted Lady butterfly on @TrescoGarden @TrescoIsland 7.4.26. I counted twenty two! @Cornwall_BC @europebutterfly @MigrantMothUK @insectmigration #butterfly

Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis) in my Dorset garden this morning. 35 arrived to the moth light yesterday. #TeamMoth #wildlife

Vestal to my Actinic trap here in East Cambs on the 5th of November. My 4th record for my garden. A completely different colour to the others (also pictured below for comparison). My first brown one for many years. @MigrantMothUK

Another night ruined by the wind in St Mellion. 25 moths of 11 species recorded, including: P xylostella (Diamond-back), 2 N noctuella (Rush Veneer), 8 U ferrugalis (Rusty-dot), 3 Silver Y, Ypsolopha ustella & Merveille du Jour. Also, a migrant Pale Damsel Bug (Nabis capsiformis)

The Gem (N. obstipata), to light at Leighton Moss, Cumbria on 4/11.

Crimson Speckled (U. pulchella), to light at Blythburgh, Suffolk on night of 4/11.

Saharan dust at 18:00 today #migrantmoths

A change in the wind direction today, and a couple of milder and much calmer days/nights on the way for most of us. Hopefully the migrants that arrived in the wind last night will be active again tonight, coupled with a fresh influx from the south east, via the Mediterranean Sea.

Palpita vitrealis near Des’s trap locally in Laois on Monday night. Delighted to see and photograph it. First for Laois - the Laois team have done well for migrant moths this year considering we are in an inland midland county! #teammoth @MigrantMothUK