On Not Standing Still...

'Everything changes; nothing stands still' said somebody once. And boy, is that true in the world of birds and moths! I am old enough to remember when we had two species of redpoll: plain, simple Redpoll, plus Arctic Redpoll. Then one day the experts decided there were actually three species. Name-wise they kept Arctic Redpoll, and called the other two Lesser Redpoll and Common Redpoll. Finally, as mentioned in the previous post, science has taken another stride forward in knowledge and understanding, and decided that there was in fact only one species of redpoll all the time. I would like to think it will be called Lumpy Redpoll.

Not for nothing are these endearing little finches known collectively as the redpoll complex. And I do find it thought-provoking how a rather variable bird can so effectively blur what constitutes fact. Back in 1975 or whatever: the redpoll complex is derived from two full species. Fact. Several years later: three species. Fact. And today: er... one species...and yes, it was always one species. We were wrong, but have definitely got it right now. Fact. But yes, okay, different fact from other recent facts.

Anyway, enough of that little soapbox, and on to moths...

Published 2023, acquired by me a few months ago.

In the world of moths there is constant flux. Two trivial examples from last night's efforts...

Cloaked Carpet. A bit worn, but there is still a hint of mossy green around the shoulders.

Until some time this morning I was under the impression that the status of this smart moth was 'Nationally Scarce B'. It certainly was last summer. But no longer. Now it is 'Common'. Wow! Good news for Cloaked Carpet of course, but I had to deflate my puffed-out chest a bit. Rarity value well and truly battered. Still, a second for the garden after one last June, and great to see.

Willow Maze-miner Phyllocnistis saligna, or so I thought...

After crowing on Bluesky about our garden being a county hotspot for the species - 12 records involving 20+ individuals over three seasons, compared with just nine other records on the Dorset Living Record map - I discovered this on the Dorset Moths website:

!!Determination by Genitalia Examination (gen. det.) Required!!

I am pretty sure that this was not the case last year. Evidently another species potentially occuring here is so similar that P. saligna cannot safely be identified without dismantling. I think my reign as Willow Maze-miner king might be over.

So, those are just two small examples of how change is constant in the mothy realm. The range of a species might expand or contract, leading to a change in status. And a species' distinctiveness in the field might be compromised by the realisation that a visually similar species has just reared its annoying head.

And I can imagine someone provocatively pointing out that names might change too! The book pictured above is full of new names. English ones. Hundreds of them. I might add that the Dorset Living Record distribution maps are searchable by entering the first letter of a moth's name and then scrolling down the list until you find it. And not the scientific name either. No, the English name. In fact, it appears to be impossible to search said maps using scientific names! And all the new English names feature on the Dorset Moths website. I wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that Messrs Sterling and Parsons are based in the county, but found that some other county websites have done likewise.

And the garden moth list changes too, expanding incrementally but determinedly, like my waist. Surprisingly, last night there were three new ones...

Hawthorn Berry Moth Blastobactra hellerella - pretty common apparently

A rather worn Slender Brindle

Oak Marble Eudemis profundana - currently only one other dot in the Bridport area

And a couple of regular customers in absolutely mint condition...

Red Twin-spot Carpet

Lime-speck Pug

Talking of pugs...

As much for me as anyone else, I made this composite image featuring three quite similar 'brown' pugs that have visited recently...

As far as I can tell from the Living Record maps, our garden does really well for many pugs. And thankfully they are all really distinctive and easy to ID.