This mornings moth trap yielded the second garden record of Grey Birch Aethalura punctulata. Like the one a couple of years ago, this moth was settled on the wall of the house. This is a reasonably common species, and it's foodplant - Alder Alnus glutinosa - grows along the stream in Batch Valley.
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| Grey Birch Alnus glutinosa |
I also recorded the first Buff-tip Phalera bucephala of 2015. This is a real crowd-pleaser of a moth, with it's resemblance to a birch twig. This is quite an early record, perhaps it will be a good year for this species.
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| Buff-tip Phalera bucephala |
The real highlight of the day came at lunchtime, when I found this caterpillar on the Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare. This is the larva of a Scarlet Tiger Callimorpha dominula, a species which appears to be spreading quickly in Shropshire. I will certainly be on the lookout for the adults in a few weeks time.
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| Scarlet Tiger Callimorpha dominula |
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