From 31 to 46

Making arrangements for a funeral sent me to Newton Abbott last month. Instead of heading straight home afterwards, I grabbed a pub meal in Teignmouth, then drove to Kennford for this...

I'm not really a clubby sort of person, and didn't know anyone there, but enjoyed the presentations. The Recorder's Report included slides of moths new to Devon in 2025. Following a brief fanfare, flurry of party poppers and polite whoop-whooping, Mompha jurassicella made a dull, brown, unexciting appearance. 'Some new bloke in Axminster', said the recorder. 'Virtually Dorset actually, so doesn't really count...'

Just for the moment, I basically have my own page on the Devon Moths website...

The mothometer needle barely twitched in January. Just four moths, but two were new for the garden. One was Common Brindled Brown (strictly speaking, Agonopterix heracliana agg.) which is exactly what it says, i.e., common, but the other was Varied Tortrix (Acleris hastiana), a slightly more quality item. Also, singles of Winter Moth and Mottled Umber...

Varied Tortrix Acleris hastiana

Mottled Umber

Winter Moth

Weeks and weeks of meteorological direness finally relented a few days ago, and the trap has been out three times so far. The 23 moths of 13 species include 12 new for the garden (NFG), and a few have been really quite decent...

Chestnut - a common species at this time of year

Common Quaker - ditto above.

The rather lovely March Moth.

Pale Birch Tortrix Acleris logiana - just 26 Devon records up to end of 2025. Think I trapped just one of these in Bridport.

Dark-streaked Tortrix Acleris umbrana - Nationally Scarce A, but 239 Devon records up to end of 2025. Saw this species just once in Bridport too.

Tawny Pinion. A single Bridport record in March 2023 is my only previous encounter with this moth.

Dotted Border

Tawny Pinion again...

...and again.

Spring Harbinger (I hope so) Tortricodes alternella. I'm pretty sure this is a new moth for me. Can't find any record of catching it in the Bridport garden.

Spring Harbinger from the other side.

Oak Beauty - one of my favourite early moths. A stunner.

Talking of early moths...Early Moth.

Coastal Buff Agonopterix yeatiana - just one record in Bridport

Red-eyed Buff Agonopterix ocellana - ditto above.

This little collage reminds me that I also caught a Brindled Buff (Agonopterix arenella) by the porch light in early February but failed to get a pic.

So that's how the Axminster garden moth list went from 31 to 46.