Not a great mothing night last night despite the favourable conditions.

Today's #MothOfTheDay is yet another from the 'Prominent' family. This time

COXCOMB PROMINENT
Ptilodon capucina

Another wood mimic that temporarily feigns death when handled.

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

Today's #MothOfTheDay signals to me the beginning of the end of summer and acknowledges those sepia mornings of autumn are not far round the corner:

ROSY RUSTIC
Hydraecia micacea

Larvae feed on dock roots. Common and widespread moth

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #autumn #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

#MothOfTheDay is quite a nice visitor for me ... new for my garden, and a rare immigrant from mainland Europe. Only really found on south coast. Possible colonies in Kent.

DUSKY HOOK-TIP
Drepana curvatula

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

#NewSpecies!
New moth from #china just landed:

Minclethrorasa chinensis

Treatment: https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E93E9440-73AD-5598-AD5C-F466D3E03F23
Publication: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1248.145465
#ZooKeys #MinclethrorasaChinensis

#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #invertebrates #entomology #insects #lepidoptera #moths #mothsmatter

#MothOfTheDay is not a visual stunner but has points of interest; an old and fading

STRAW UNDERWING
Thalpophila matura

This one is showing the hindwings that give it its name ... and also notice its left antennae seems to be broken which could hamper its ability to avoid predation or orient itself.

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

#MothOfTheDay isn't a bold, colourful one. It's a monochromatic carpet of dark grey and white. But quite a nice example of its type:

KNOT GRASS
Acronicta rumicis

Larvae feed on pretty much anything. One of the 'dagger' moths, so closely related to Grey/Dark Dagger, one of my favourites

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

Today's #MothOfTheDay might be a bit déja-vu. I showcased this a while back from a first brood but it was a fading specimen, and this second brood specimen is much brighter, and needed showing to the world!

CAMPION
Sideridis rivularis

Larvae feed on, yes, you guessed it, Campion

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext #pink #purple

#MothOfTheDay is one of the Thorn moths, the autumnal leaf mimic that is

LUNAR THORN
Selenia lunularia

Quite common in extreme SE UK, but quite scarce elsewhere. Larvae feed on oak, birch, privet and damson.

Two in the moth box last night.

#moths #moth #mothsandbutterflies #butterflies #MothsMatter #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #lepidoptera #entomology #insect #cute #garden #summer #conservation #biodiversity #alttext

A lovely little Twenty-Plume Moth on the window of my flats this morning.

#nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #invertebrates #insects #lepidoptera #moth #moths #mothsmatter #twentyplumemoth #glass #belfast #NorthernIreland

It has been a busy, busy year. And the best month of mothing has just started.
I have been haunting a local nature preserve called Kær Vestermark. I used to call it the grass desert, because it was close to a larger city, and the conservation efforts seemed to mostly be about conserving a nice area with cut lawns for dogwalkers and pedestrians. It has changed for the better in recent years, with cattle grazing and new ponds for amphibians.
The decline in moth numbers is concerning, though. I catch smaller numbers than I did four years ago, despite upgrading both gear and location. Last year I chalked it up to a wet spring, the year before that, a cold summer. This year....it's depressing.
I find species I haven't seen before, that is awesome, but some species, that used to be common as dirt, are showing up in smaller numbers or missing entirely.

#Entomology #Insects #Lepidoptera #Mothing #MothsMatter #Pollinators #MothsAndButterflies #WildlifePhotography #iNaturalist #Wildlife #Nature