The Hedge

On Saturday 4th April 2020, roughly two weeks into the first COVID-19 lockdown, I planted about 30 feet of native hedging whips at the back of our garden. They had to go in right next to a fence. Not ideal, and I wasn't sure how they would get on. Anyway, I duly cut each one down by about half, and waited. Just over three weeks later, this was the scene...

29th April 2020

The mix comprised Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Hazel, Cherry Plum, Field Maple and Dog Rose. Everything took, except two out of five Dog Roses. A few weeks ago I removed all the fence boards, and this is what it looks like now, photographed from the other side...

15th June 2023. Three years of growth (including a decent trim last year) has given us a fantastic bit of habitat in an otherwise tiny and unremarkable garden.

A while back I added two honeysuckles, one of which is flowering now. We get Cherry Plum blossom, lots of Dog Rose flowers and, this year, our first little froth of Hawthorn blossom. We've already had hips, and this autumn there will be haws too.

Something I would never have predicted three years ago was that I might one day be lurking next to that same hedge as the light dimmed each evening, net in hand, hoping to catch the odd micro-moth. However, that is exactly what has happened. And not without success.

In addition to the nationally scarce Lampronia morosa and a couple of Grapholita tenebrosana - a species with relatively few Dorset records, which apparently doesn't come to light - on Wednesday evening the hedge gave me another cracking little moth...

Designated 'Nationally Scarce B', this striking little beastie popped out of the hedge and landed on a wooden upright. Thankfully my potting skills were bang on. There seem not to be many Dorset records of this one either.

In other news...

Tuesday night

75 moths of 43 species. Four new for garden, six new for year.

First for the garden.

This stumpy little thing is Middle-barred Minor, another garden first.

Couldn't resist including this beautifully-marked Freyer's Pug.

Ingrailed Clay. Supposedly common, but only our second, after one last year.

Caught six last year, but this is the first of 2023.

Wednesday night

72 moths of 39 species. One new for garden, three new for year.

Foxglove Pug. A pug that's nice and easy to ID. Caught three last year.

Shoulder-striped Wainscot. The second of this striking moth to visit in 2023.

This absolute belter is Beautiful Golden Y, a garden first. It was really hard to capture a photo which does this stunning moth justice. It has a small, greeny-grey, iridescent patch which doesn't come across at all in this pic. Ah well...looks amazing in real life.

Mmmmmm...

There is no Privet in our hedge, so definitely a visitor. Common, but only caught three last year.

The garden moth year list stands at 222 now, including a handful of aggregates. Lots to come...