Wildlife

James Lowen

I shouldn't be too disparaging about my own garden. I have had some quality since returning from Extremadura. Buttoned Snout was a tick (nationally scarce to boot) and the local Grass Rivulet only my second (plus a garden tick). Also new for the trap was Pale Oak Beauty. And there was some other nice stuff too, including the first Elephant Hawk-moth of the year.

Talking of hawk-moths, one warm evening in late May, our garden honeysuckle attracted Lime and Poplar Hawk-moths. I only photographed the former: what a cracker!

Finally, the belters are back! On Saturday lunchtime, just before cricket, I hung out some clearwing lures for 15 minutes, and had a Red-belted Clearwing come in (although it appeared to be more interested in the Hornet Moth lure; perhaps I have mixed them up... Either way, it is great that this nationally scarce species is again here this summer.

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8 June 2017 Tasburgh moths... or 'how the other half moth'

On Sunday, Family Lowen attended the Tasburgh Moth Morning hosted by Mike Dawson and Andy Musgrove. In a cute little reserve in this lovely village south of Norwich, a crowd nourished by bacon butties had the vicarious pleasure of watching other people open their moth traps. And how these country folk moth! Crowd-pleasers such as hawk-moths were everywhere, so too ermines. Interesting moths such as Buff-tip and Pebble Prominent were commonplace for these lucky trappers. Granted there was nothing mega - but there was still one new moth for me (Plain Golden Y) plus species that simply don't make it to New Costessey (e.g. Cream-bordered Green Pea and Brown Rustic).