I was just tidying away our mothing sheet as rain is due tonight, and I found another immigrant - Small Mottled Willow. VC13 #moths #mothing #teammoth

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing larva in the garden last night. Literally 2 feet from the last sighting on 31/3, so surely the same?! As last time, I only saw this as it happened to be near one of the moth traps.

Gorse Shieldbug at Underbarn Walk yesterday. Only posted as, for once, it was on full view, sunbathing on this leaf. Normally they are hidden in the Gorse.

A random find at Moonfleet this morning, a settled St Mark's Fly. I'm used to seeing them in flight with their long dangly legs.

Out in the garden after dark last night with the macro lens, and I found this roosting Yellow Dung Fly.

Moths traps ok, slightly better than of late. Migrants were 3 each of Small Mottled Willow and RDP, plus a Silver Y. A. hastiana nfy, taking me to 84 sp. Otherwise some random photos from last two days, details in ALT.
Best from Moonfleet this am was seeing the Spitfire and Dakota over Lyme Bay!

#teammoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social
Scottish Borders (VC's 78,79,70,81) 11th SMWillow (my 5th this week) and Borders earliest Turnip by 3 weeks on current info. Also 1 Diamond-back.
73/18, including Roxburghshire's (VC80) 2nd Oak-tree Pug (Borders' 9th). Also Early Thorn, Streamer, Satellite, etc.

Cosmopolitan

Blue Ground Beetle, a species found in Temperate Rainforest at just 15 sites in Devon, Cornwall & Wales.

Field trapping in a woodland Dartmoor last night attracted a few migrants, with singles of Diamond Back, Dark Sword-grass, Small Mottled Willow and a totally unexpected Cosmopolitan!The main highlight was the rare Blue Ground Beetle, with 4 seen. Cornwood VC3
#teammoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Big uptick in moths in SW Hants last night, possibly helped as much by an enforced bulb change as better conditions.
55 of 27 inc 8 NFY:
Portland Ribbon Wave (earliest in Hants by 4 weeks?)
3 Small Mottled Willow
Chocolate-tip
Small White Wave

@migrantmothuk.bsky.social

#teammoth

1/2

Rush Veneer, Barton-on-Sea, SW Hants.
Takes the overall year list to 83, and the "without a trap" year list to 21.

@migrantmothuk.bsky.social

#teammoth

Down to 50 moths of 19 species in St Mellion last night, on a very blustery night. New for the year - Small White Wave (earliest record by 13 days). Migrants - 6 Dark Sword-grass, Small Mottled Willow, Angle Shades & 4 Silver Y (1 in ORI lure trap). Also, Muslin Moth & Great Prominent. #teammoth

Far lower overall numbers at Portland but more of a couple of things: 5 Small Mottled Willows, 4 Diamond-backs, 1 Rusty-dot Pearl, 1 Silver Y.

125 moths of 26 species in St Mellion, most of which were migrants -
1 Plutella xylostella (Diamond-back)
52 Dark Sword-grass (A. ipsilon)
1 Turnip Moth (A. segetum)
1 Pearly Underwing (P. saucia)
19 Angle Shades (P. meticulosa)
1 Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua)
21 Silver Y (A. gamma)
#teammoth

Red Chestnut

Dark Sword-grass

Pebble Prominent

Pebble Prominent

Exciting trap in Marbury (VC58) this morning. Not large numbers 8/16 but a NFG I hope! with this Red Chestnut? Also my first migrant of the year with a Dark Sword-grass and another NFY with this beautiful Pebble Prominent. Lunar Marbled Brown and Purple Thorn also. #teammoth

Weymouth: Moth trap incredibly quiet, but did hold 3 Small Mottled Willow and 2 Silver Y. @migrantmothuk.bsky.social
Best of the very few rest were the bizarre Pale Prominent and Bloxworth Snout, which woke up in the shed! 3 nfy's take me to 75 species now.

2 x Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua), to light in Penzance, Cornwall on 13/4. #teammoth

A couple of Painted Lady (V. cardui) observed at Galley Head, West Cork, Ireland on 12/4. K. Woods

One also seen in Wotter, S. Devon on 13/4. K. May.

3 Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua), 2 P. xylostella (Diamond-back Moth), Dark Sword-grass (A. ipsilon), Silver Y (A. gamma) & Angle Shades (P. meticulosa, among 21 species in Plymouth, S. Devon on 13/4. C. Vincent #teammoth

2 Small Mottled Willow (S. exigua), to light at Helston, Cornwall (VC1) on 13/4. D. Wright. #teammoth

Lunar Double-stripe (Minucia lunaris), to light at Pegwell, Kent on 12/4. #teammoth

Two Small Mottled Willows amongst an equally small arrival here at Portland at night - 3 Diamond-backs, a Silver Y and a Dark Sword Grass the other migrants

32 species in St Mellion overnight, including a small arrival of common immigrants - 7 P. xylostella (Diamond-back), 2 N. noctuella (Rush Veneer), 1 Dark Sword-grass (A. ipsilon) & 2 Silver Y (A. gamma). Also, 1 Angle Shades (P. meticulosa) #teammoth

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? #teammoth

...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 Southern Spain, with counts of 610 and 750 in Andalucia on 7-8th April (Per D. Grundy) 2/2 #teammoth

The total of 205 Small Mottled Willow (Spodoptera exigua) recorded by Mick Scott at Longstone, 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, at Portland Bird Obs, Dorset on 11/2/2004..... 1/2 #teammoth

Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella - N. Antrim Apr26 Double figures of these moths this week. These tiny insects can migrate huge distances on the wind. #moths #mothsmatter #teammoth @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @europebutterfly.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Lesser swallow tail prom

Swallowtail prom

Diamonds are forever

Powdered Quaker

Had both traps out lastnight, numbers poor 20/9 however 5 nfy which made up for it! First diamond-back @migrantmothuk.bsky.social lesser swallow tail prom and swallowtail prom, red chestnut and powdered Quaker, poss would have been more as I fell back to sleep when I needed to get up! #teammoth

Scorched Carpet

Scorched Carpet nfy in Ashurst, New Forest this morning, along with Maiden's Blush. 9 xylostella this morning showing some signs of migrant penetration inland, along with Blossom Underwing yesterday @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #teammoth

Painted Lady butterfly

Large Tortoiseshell

There is an influx of Painted Ladies on Dungeness, Kent this morning

Seen 7 in a small sheltered areas at the top Long Pits

Plus the Large Tortoiseshell found last Thursday is still present east side of top Long Pits

@savebutterflies.bsky.social
@migrantmothuk.bsky.social

I think I can track the origin of the influx to Mauritania on 6/7th

Thank you

Golden-rod Pug, The Grove, 9th April 2026 photo Jodie Henderson

Extremely duff on the migrant moth front: tally at the Obs dropped to just a Small Mottled Willow and 2 each of Diamond-back, DSGrass & SY. Interesting addition for y'day: what looks like a Golden-rod Pug from our garden at the Grove - only the second Portland record and rather few other Dorset recs

And across Western Europe too - no doubt! Weds 8th Stephen Knapp at Vejer de la Frontera - 610 and on Thur 9th myself at Punta Paloma, Tarifa - 750. Both in Andalucia, Spain.

It'll be interesting to see what this brings tonight (together with large amounts of dust). Mostly SE Spain however you could see a large arrival.