Wow! A Silver-washed fritillary rescued from our kitchen in the middle of Dorchester. That's a first for me.

Fascinating trip to Down Farm in North Dorset on 4th July organised by @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social This Brassy Longhorn clicked by the lagoon seems to be an interesting record for Dorset.

Same blunthorn bees in Dorchester but with a better camera! Thanks @dighini.bsky.social

So happy to find these 3 sleepy bees in my Dorchester garden today. I think they're blunthorn bees, Melitta haemorrhoidalis (new to me), but happy to be corrected!

Absolutely crammed moth trap last night in Dorchester. Camping out in the garden, 100s of Large Yellow Underwings actually woke me up with their crashing around at 1am. Beautiful fresh Large Emerald is my new favourite of 56 species, several new to me.

@dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social visit to Broadcroft and Cottonfields quarries on 20th June. Fantastic for bees as well as Lepidoptera. Thanks to Nigel Spring and Bryan Edwards for sharing so much knowledge.

Alners gorse yesterday... Derek's photos

I watched a sudden flush of moths emerging from the flowerbed and nectaring on the Stachys as it got dark on the 15th. It felt like a perfect moth night. Over 300 moths of 50 plus species waiting in the trap the following morning! Not bad for the middle of Dorchester.

Wonderful butterfly spotting at Alners Gorse this weekend on a @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social walk lead by @martinswarren.bsky.social Photos by Derek Righini.

Light emerald getting comfortable

No hawkmoths, but over 40 moth species in my Dorchester garden yesterday (plus the ones that got away!)

It was a perfect night for enjoying the nightjars yesterday.

More people are raising pet ants around the world. They are small, low-maintenance and display complex behaviors that fascinate humans. But this fascination is leading to a bigger issue: an underground global trade of ants. Learn more in this episode of Mongabay Explains! mongabay.cc/LAyrt4

Some of my favourites from this morning's catch

A long and very enjoyable back garden mothing session in Dorchester this morning. 45 species including 2 striped hawkmoths.

Lydlinch common yesterday. Lots of lacewings flitting about.

Marsh fritillaries looking fabulous in the sunshine at Lydlinch Common yesterday. A lovely @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social event thanks to Colin!

Beautiful early morning yesterday at Maiden castle. The usual kestrel and ravens nearby as well as a few swallows. Posing for pictures - a very confiding yellowhammer, corn buntings, and meadow pipits.

Lankham Bottom looking lovely yesterday with my first small coppers of 2026 and some really fresh looking skippers. Lots of common whitethroats and linnets too.

Really pleased to have been included in the @ukbms.bsky.social transect for the wonderful habitat on the Weymouth Relief Road. Lots on the wing yesterday, with the ground ivy very popular with recently arrived painted ladies. Thanks to Derek Righini for bringing his camera along!