A great #panspeciesrecording day with @sim-elliott.bsky.social in the Cuckmere Valley. Contarinia acerplicans, Early Purple Orchid, and Usnea articulata, amongst many others. At least four Kingdoms covered in three organisms! @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Cold, wind, and rain, last night at Old Lodge, East Sussex. So not many moths and no photos.
This morning at 5.00am though, listening to Woodlark, Willow Warbler, Siskin & co. Pure magic!
@sussexwildlife.bsky.social #ashdownforest #ukmoths

Brighton based naturalists planning a trip somewhere to see Bluebells, just walk up Freshfield Road, where the old Kemptown railway station was.

I've entered the BSBI 'Record 100 Plants in 2026 Challenge'. I'm only counting plants I haven't previously recorded and that I identified using a book rather than an app.
My local park in Brighton produced 12 species (not including trees). Annual Wall Rocket was new. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

No, is the simple answer. Presume you have checked for damage. Be VERY careful if there is any chance at all that the outer glass shell is damaged, it can blind you.
All you can do is swap it for another and see if you get lots more moths.

Far too cold and windy for any flying insects, so had a nosy under some logs at Woods Mill SWT reserve. Obsidentify calls the second one Blackspotted Pliers Support Beetle, I love that!
#sussexwt #panspecies

@amyjanebeer.bsky.social Just wanted to say how much I loved your piece in British Wildlife. Wonderfully evocative and uplifting writing, thank you.

A few interesting 'moth trap intruders'. The water boatman Sigara striata and the weevil Curculio nucum.
#teammoth #sussexwildlife

Had to empty the trap in torrential rain yesterday, hence the poor photos. A lot of new stuff for me. Pics are: Bordered Beauty, Brassy Y, White-shouldered Ochre, Oak Hook-tip.
#teammoth

My numbers refer to the first picture btw.

I hate pugs too!
My extremely amateur take is that you are right about 1,3 and 4. Never seen No. 2, so don't feel qualified to comment.

I think the answer is yes, but footmen are a bit of a headache for me too, and I get loads of them. BTW, I haven't worked out how to see other replies on Bluesky, so everyone else might have said the same thing.
Colin

Scottish Pearl? Never seen one, being about as far south of you as it's possible to get without getting wet.
Colin

Hi Jess,
It's difficult from a small photo, but I would say it's a Rufous Tortrix.
Colin

Burton Mill Pond, in W. Sussex, includes a 'swamp' called Black Hole.
On warm humid nights this can be spectacular. Sunday night produced 209 of 65. Specialities included:
Bulrush Down Moth, Limnaecia phragmitella
Bulrush Veneer, Calamotropha paludella
Pale Water-veneer, Donacaula forficella

Burton Mill Pond, in W. Sussex, includes a 'swamp' called Black Hole.
On warm humid nights this can be spectacular. Sunday night produced 209 of 65. Specialities included:
Bulrush Down Moth, Limnaecia phragmitella
Bulrush Veneer, Calamotropha paludella
Pale Water-veneer, Donacaula forficella

Nice, and useful, pair of pics Phil, annoyingly however, as I can confirm from this morning's traps, neither of them always look exactly like your photos!

Rain, midges, cows and flighty moths all made for an extreme mothing session at Burton Mill Pond, W. Sussex. Some cracking moths though:
Barred Red, Mocha, Marsh Grass-moth, Sandy Carpet
#teammoth #sussexwildlife #ukmoths #ukwildlife

Spent the summer solstice at West Beach SSSI, lots of sand dune and shingle beach specialists inc. Small Plume, Oxyptilus parvidactyla (poss. only 2nd W. Sussex record), and Canary Tortrix (Lemon Bell), Thiodia citrana, poss. only colony in the county.
#teammoth #sussexwildlifetrust #ukmoths

Quantity rather than quality at Burton Mill Pond, W. Sussex, 83 of 36. Highlight, the 7th modern-day Sussex record for Moss (Gold-barred) Marble, Celypha aurofasciana.
Also had a Field Cricket!

My first ever Ochreous Pug. TBH, I've never liked pugs, but I'm getting loads this year of several species. Scots Pine (the food plant) isn't native to Sussex, but there are plenty of planted trees around.

70 moths of 25 species on Friday night, outnumbered about 2 to 1 by Cockchafer. Moths are emerging early but not flying around much is what I think is happening, due to hot days but cold nights. Orange Footman and Vestal are early for example.
Prettiest moth was a Cream-spot Tiger.

I live in VC14 (East Sussex), just. I do most of my recording though in VC13 (West Sussex). To find them on your map, head south from London until you get wet.

I remember the first exoplanet discovery, incredible that we have got so far in such a short time.

This is K2-18b.

It’s a planet outside of our solar system, about 2 1/2 times the size of earth, orbiting a small red dwarf star.

The James Webb space telescope spent time studying this planet via spectroscopy and determined it has gases in its atmosphere that are only created through biology!

Hi Steve, you've got me thinking. I held that one back to photo because I thought it looked the freshest, but maybe that's because it was different. Are those "fine black streaks or wedges projecting inwards from the outer crossline" (Waring & Townsend) diagnostic of Brindled?

Rain spoiled the first cloudy night for weeks at Burton Mill Pond SWT Reserve. Loads of pugs, 22 Brindled and 2 Oak-tree.
Plus, if confirmed, a very early Heather Hook-wing, Ancylis uncella. Not often seen in Sussex.
Plus, my 2nd Minotaur Beetle of 2025. #teammoth #sussexwildlifetrust #ukmoths

He died in 2006, I doubt he ever saw a frothy cappuccino😀

I trap near a lake and have a similar problem. It's interesting the effect water has, even the trees are later to budburst.

A hard frost in W. Sussex last night with Frosted Green literally frozen to the groundsheet. Highlights were an early Lunar Marbled Brown and my first ever Common Oak Purple (Common Spring Jewel), Dyseriocrania subpurpurella. The photo doesn't do it justice, really shiny in real life.