Author Archives: Lynda Lambert

a silvery grey moth with buff markings at each end , resembling a twig

Buff Tip. Photo: Mark Pike

small orange brown moth ,with a lighter wavy cross line on wings ,

European Corn Borer. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark’s Motcombe trap on 12/08/26  held these two species, an unusually fresh for August, Buff Tip, and a European Corn Borer.

The latter was  rare migrant before the 1930’s, this species then began to colonise the area around London and the south-east, and has spread to several other areas since.

Striking black moth with cream diagonal stripes on forewings, showing a little red of its hindwings

Jersey Tiger. Photo: Peter Watts

Peter spotted this Jersey Tiger on his patio in Sandford on 8/08/26

 

This year the UK have had a huge number seen,  but when first encountered this species always excites and raises interest in moths.

sows 7 Black and Cream striped moths with red hindwings resting inside an open moth trap

Jersey Tigers Photo: Donald Simcock

Donald was astounded to find he had trapped eleven Jersey Tigers in his Bournemouth moth trap on 3/08/26. This shows seven of them with other species for company.

His photo of one’s head is interesting as we do not often get to see the face of this tiger moth.

 

a grey brown moth with cream face resembling a broken twig

Buff -tip. Photo : Donald Simcock

a marbled grey brown moth with a metallic silver Y mark on each forewing

Silver Y moth. Photo: Donald Simcock

Donald sent us these photos from his Bournemouth garden moth trap, which he ran on 3/08/26

A Buff tip , the one that resembles a broken twig or some think a cigarette butt, and a Silver Y , a migrant moth which has a long season and arrives in huge numbers during hot weather.

light brown and cream moth, with white stripes highlighting viens on forewing and along top of thorax. Also showing pink of underwing when resting in a v shape

Striped Hawkmoth. Photo: Mike Wenham

large moth with grey forewing crossed with jagged lines and bands. showing Red hindwing wing which has a bold black border and central band. Resting on Ivy.

Red Underwing. Photo: Mike Wenham

Mike trapped these moths in his Worth Matravers garden on 6/088/26

He had two Striped Hawkmoths (greedy) and a Red Underwing.

The Striped Hawkmoth is a migrant species more often found near the coast but not always, and the Red Underwing is a resident moth which often ignores light traps and is more frequent at sugar .

Can be found resting on walls by day.

yellowish brown moth with a dark spot at two thirds of forewing

Small China Mark.Photo: Mark Pike

a small brown moth with pink oval kidney mark

Small Mottled Willow. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark ran his Motcombe trap on 28/07/26 and had a Small China Mark and a Small Mottled Willow inside.

The Small china Mark is a female as the male of this species is gleaming white. They can be easily disturbed by day from waterside vegetation.

The Small Mottled Willow has a distinctive resting position in that it wraps its wings around its body rather than held flat.

Grey/Brown moth with orange hind wings and black and white striped abdomen resembling a hummingbird about to feed on pink Phlox

Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Photo: Mark Pike

Mark found this Hummingbird Hawkmoth in his front garden in Motcombe on 30/07/26.

They love to feed from many flowers like this phlox but also use verbenas, salvias , roses and more. They do however seem to favour flowers with trumpet like petals in which they can  insert their long proboscis.