Simon Davies

@ramblinbirder

Birder, butterflies, moths. Somerset : mostly local (TA4 VC5) and Steart and the Quantocks. More images : flickr.com and my WordPress blog: (simonvyvyandavies/thenovicebirder)

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Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 17d

Some nice moths to an all LED set-up at a new (to me) garden in the foothills of the Somerset Quantocks (VC5) this week: Vestal, Small Rufous (my first of both this year), NTM Maple Prominent and Coxcomb Prominent for comparison. #teammoth

Vestal white delta-winged migrant moth with angled reddish stripe

Small rufous: small, brown with a clear row of distal darker dots

Maple prominent showing the prominent tornal bump and pale distal forewing

Coxcomb prominent many similarities to maple but subtly different colour scheme

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 21d

Eastern Bordered Straw Heliothis nubigera 3rd or 4th for county. To MV light 10km NW of Taunton this week. Beautiful moth taken with what have recently become "the usual migrants" SMW 11, silver Y 2, noctuella 2, ferrugalis. 11 new for year included Nutmeg, Turnip and Italian bark moth. #teammoth

Exotically patterned white and black spots on stripes of henna on pale chocolate. A rare visitor from way down south, possibly as far as Africa.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 23d

Mega migrant summer continues: during a 15 minute Big Butterfly Count in the garden (VC5), Silver Y, Humming-bird hawk moth, 3 Painted lady and a female Clouded Yellow (plus lots of others). #teammoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Clouded yellow butterfly nectaring on knapweed (a purple flower).

Clouded yellow butterfly captured as it leaves one flower head for another, and giving a glimpse of the black edged upper sides of the wings. This is a female with yellowish spots in the dark border. 1/000s exposure not quite quick enough for a truly sharp image.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 24d

True love? From my heathland trapping session during the week. (Caption in Alt txt) #teammoth

Two beautifully patterned True lover's knot moths in cop. despite being on a cardboard tray in the moth trap.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 25d

More heathland moths in a low voltage LED trap session on the Quantock hills VC5 last night. Four were new to me : Chevron, Narrow-winged pug, endotricha flammealis/ rosy tabby, and a nice surprise was 2nd for Somerset pempelia genistella/gorse knot-horn (last sighting in Somerset 1946) #teammoth

Chevron, brown and gold colours with prominent chevron marking

Narrow-winged pug multiple lateral stripes and characteristic shape

Unassuming-looking beige moth that was only seen in Somerset once before.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 27d

10km NW from Taunton, VC5 warm, dark night & the moths keep coming: 80 species, 19 more new this year and 4 garden firsts: True lover's knot, Dusky sallow, agapeta zoegana, dichrorampha vancouveriana. Silver Y 5, SMW 10, ferrugalis, ECB, noctuella migrants @migrantmoth.bluesky.social #teammoth

Agapeta zoegana, a yellow micromoth on a white background

D. vancouverana an orange micromoth with complex overpatterning situated in an open plastic pot

Dusky sallow: striped moth in chestnut and white

True lover's knot, moth with exceptionally beautiful patterning in reds, white and dark shades on a green background.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· 29d

My reward for nettle/bramble bashing to restore a local pathway : several Yellow shell and oodles of Mother of Pearl. Legs gently tingling this morning.... #teammoth

An orange moth with millefois thin striping among gently bashed brambles..

A near transparent silvery moth on rampant brambles

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jul 10

Stellar night of home MV mothing in Somerset, humid, minimum temperature 19 deg C with a sliver of moon. 360 of 71 species with 19 NFY, 4 NFG: Dewick's plusia, Plain golden Y wonderful additions to the garden list and p. roborella, e. truncicollela probably should have been there already. #teammoth

Beautiful golden Y and its much smaller Plusiniae relative Dewick's plusia, both brown moths with a bright contrasting letter-like forewing mark.

Privet hawk moth rescued from the trap and reunited with ligustrum vulgare (wild privet). A huge black and brown hawk moth with pink warning stripes on the underwing.

The Drinker, a strange-looking moth with bulbous wing shape in yellowish-brown.

Canary shouldered thorn, a bright yellow moth with lemon yellow head.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jul 7

After a mothing break, some nice low voltage traps in a local abandoned quarry and in the garden while waiting for the footie (VC5). New to me (quarry) were chilo phragmitella/reed veneer, e. canis/hoary tortrix, c. fagiglandana/beech mast piercer; a. suavella and plain pug new at home. #teammoth

chilo phragmitella : brown micromoth with especially long palps and here found nowhere near phragmites.

(Misnamed!) plain pug a larger pug moth with richly coloured striping in browns with standout white line near wing edges.

Blackthorn knot-horn, a brown micromoth with 3 prominent pale stripes and reddish brown over-painting on the middle stripe in particular

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jun 16

Summer Mothing (had me a blast?) bringing in big numbers now : Sunday night saw 16 new for year in about 250 moths of 61 species. R. formosa, A. podana (including melanistic variant) best of the micros. The Lackey & The Drinker best names and Clouded Brindle best in show..(🥲poor photo..) #team-moth

Beautiful knot horn has a reddish blush and dark patterning here in a bid for freedom on the window frame

Melanistic bell-shaped micromoth A podana/ large fruit-tree tortrix

0630 and still 13 degrees C as indicated by this Mottled Beauty on the old moth office thermometer

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jun 14

Still, warm light high cloud here in Somerset: gorgeous! Orange-tailed clearwing to VES 0950-1050 thanks to advice from @lizgoodyear.bsky.social and @wheaterlp.bsky.social and #TeamMoth. Better to go for these in the morning it seems, yellow-legged favours the afternoon perhaps. (Data to SCR/ALS).

Orange-tailed clearwing moth resting on green plastic lure trap

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jun 14

Pheromone lure surprise for me with yellow-legged clearwing drawn by AND in my latest attempt for orange-tailed. Last time yellow-tailed appeared with VES. Strategic re-think on orange-tailed?? Any ideas gratefully received.. #teammoth

Yellow-tailed clearing on Green lure trap lid, not the best view but some features (the legs!) demonstrated here, others in 2nd image

Yellow legged clearwing inside plastic lure trap with wing features better demonstrated in this image

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jun 12

Olethreutes arcuella/Coppice beauty : two found in woodland on Quantock Hills, VC5. Scarce locally (last 1986, plus my 2024 sighting with poor picture) and seems to be local only in the south of England. #teammoth

Brightly coloured tortrix moth on fresh green bilberry leaf

Brightly coloured tortrix moth on fresh green bilberry leaf: side view

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Jun 10

Good weekend of dodging showers and moth-related banter around the traps/in the bar on the Dave Brown Preston Montford course last weekend. Pleased to trap The Delicate (probably the first in VC40 for 15 years) and NFM Epinotia bilunana/ Crescent tortrix with my LED trap on Sunday night. #teammoth

The Delicate, fine tracery of toffee coloured markings on pale buff ground, set off by dark grey soggy cardboard egg-tray

Crescent tortrix has two semilunar dark markings, anc other smaller dots) on a paler background: mobile phone shot through glass.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 29

27th May : rounded off an amazing few days of trapping with 115/56 and another 19 new for '26 (bringing garden year total to 122 with 60 new since May 22nd!). Micros very much to the fore (thus the bleary eyes and pile of books out on the desk..) #teammoth

Straw dot : tiny, triangular with two large dark eye-like markings

Barred fruit-tree tortrix Pandemis cerasana

It starts here: a beautifully marked (and mercifully static) large yellow underwing. More to come....

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 29

Yellow-legged clearwing to VES lure this afternoon 1445h, lure up since mid morning. Brief visit luckily landing in nearby bay tree for iPhone snap. VC5 nr. Taunton Somerset. #teammoth

Yellow-legged clearwing male on bay leaf (female has yellow "tail")

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 28

Woodland moths and a couple of migrants to the low voltage LED traps in a disused Quantock hills quarry (with permission FoQ charity ): 3 cream spot Tiger, Green silver-lines, Marbled brown, Spruce carpet new this year. Dark sword-grass also NFY with Pale mottled willow. And geoffrella! #teammoth

Cream spot tiger moths on Quantock quarry stone

Striking colour on this green silver-line

Marbled brown with its characteristic white saddle (showing low voltage LEDs used for this localised moth-ing)

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 26

Night of 24/5/26: similar numbers to 22/5 (183/64 vs 157/60) but many changes: 24 more new for year notably Brown- (NFG), Small- and Ringed China-mark(s), Angle shades, Brussels lace and numerous micros. Migrants again with xylostella (10), SMW 11, ferrugalis 5, noctuella 1. Somerset VC5. #teammoth

Brown China-mark has prominent brown on white semi-geometric markings

Angle shades : chocolate browns with dramatic angular design

Cochylimorpha straminea (common straw) is pale straw brown grassland specialist micromoth rarely seen in west Somerset

For something slightly different this Small eggar caterpillar was found on sallow adjacent to the trap while checking for stragglers. NFG!

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 24

Night of 22nd report: (where to start!?) 157/60 was quite a handful with 32NFY and 2 NFG: Eulia ministrana "The Minister" (rare in Somerset), Anania fuscalis "Rattle pearl" (also locally rare). To the bumper migrant crop (see earlier post) add Diamond-back and a few more SMW (30 total). #teammoth

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 23

#teammoth I have drawn a blank on this micro, picture taken with headtorch illumination so colours may be off. It looks a little battered, also not helping. Any thoughts gratefully received.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 23

@migrantmothuk.bsky.social thank you! Good night of migrant moths and plenty of excellent local moths : early counts made 25+ small mottled willow, 5 ferrugalis, 4 noctuella, silver Y. Totals well over 100/40 and plenty more to scrutinise. #teammoth

Gold spot, small macromoth with sparkling markings, NFY

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 21

Pale-shouldered brocade has turned up around the country recently and pleased to join that club last night on a Quantock hills mire ( VC5 ) low voltage LED session. Of the others NFY were Neofaculta ericetella Yellow-barred brindle Treble lines Scalloped hazel Broken-barred carpet. #teammoth

Pale-shouldered brocade, brown with paler patterning notably the "shoulders"

Yellow-barred brindle : more green than yellow and with finely scripted black patterns

Broken-barred carpet, only my second in Somerset

Neofaculta ericetella, somewhat cigar shaped at rest, 7-8 mm in length, wingspan 13-18mm and with characteristic dark patterning on greyish base.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 7

Garden moths in daylight before setting up the trap yesterday: Cinnabar moth and Pachyrhabda steropodes, the introduced "Fern signaller" now buzzing around the horticultural ferns, first seen in 2025. #teammoth

Cinnabar moth, red stripes and spots on black with iridescent blue head

Ornamental fern crozier with tiny striped micromoth (see next image)

Closer but not great quality image of the tiny Fern signaller: brown stripes on pale background

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 7

1/2 : Surprised by scale of change in the moth trap last night : 27 of 19 species seen of which only 7 species were in the trap 5 days earlier. 9 NFY including Mullein NFG. Silver Y and Diamond-back again. Lychnis 2nd here, last 2020 : because campion now established in wildflower area? #teammoth

Mullein moth: Smart cream and chocolate/ toffee longitudinal stripes

Lychnis with cross-shaped grouping of markings and characteristic pre terminal dark line c.f. Campion

Biston betularia, beloved of Biology teachers, black peppering on a white background

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 4

Successful hunt for Small pearl bordered fritillary at Clatworthy reservoir West Somerset today and some nice day-flying moths along for the ride: Speckled yellow, Brown silver-line, Silver Y (4) #teammoth

Speckled yellow moth : underside (much as upper) with black patches on lemony yellow background

Small pearl-bordered fritillary: brilliant orange butterfly with crisp black patterning and scalloped white edged upper side of wing

Typical habitat on the hillsides surrounding Clatworthy reservoir: grassland is managed with butterflies in mind with retained strips of bracken and shorter cut grass between for violets.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 2

2 Diamond-back and a Silver Y nodded toward migration in a decent MV trap overnight. 29/17 included first sightings of Mocha, Chocolate-tip, Poplar hawk, Flame shoulder, "Many"-plumed and Silver-ground carpet. #teammoth

Chocolate tip moth, hot chocolate coloured with milky stripes and dark chocolate wing tip, sitting pretty on a coffee stirrer.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· May 1

Low voltage LED popped out last minute on a humid night with a welcome shower of rain. Yielded 10/8 with 2NFG and a NFY. Monopis crocicapitella and Elachista argentella were the newbies, and 3 nicely green-tinted Bee moths gave a year tick. More trapping tonight given the migrant forecast. #teammoth

Detritus moth : tiny with pale dorsal band on reddish brown.

Bee moth pointed rolled up look with green tinge reminiscent of algae

E. argentella the ghostly Miss Haversham of the micromoth world. Awful picture, hope for better later when chilled out.

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Apr 30

Fun 24 hours with the Leps: UV light found plenty of larvae of White-letter hairstreak on flowering elm with a group on Quantock hills last night; today on the hills I witnessed a gathering of several Emperor moths to lure. None lingered but I snapped a blurry memento. Just wow! #teammoth

White-letter hairstreak caterpillar glowing turquoise blue in ultraviolet light.

Yeeees....terrible picture as a memento of an incredible experience, with multiple Emperor moths zigzagging at high speed towards us then veering away (probably cursing!) when they realised lurv was denied .

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Apr 30

Found in a garden shed today, really not sure what I'm looking at: hairy pupa perhaps of a hairy caterpillar species? Approx 2cm long. Thoughts #teammoth -ers, please?

Simon Davies@ramblinbirder· Apr 28

Last night's MV trap gave 34 moths of 21 species, 10 new for the year & was not unlike the traps in late April 2025 albeit with no migrants thanks to the freshening northerly breeze in VC5 Somerset. Welcome returners included pale tussock, sandy carpet, dark spectacle, waved umber. #teammoth