Ni Moth (Trichoplusia ni) to light @Bawdsey_Hall on 2 October. It's been a good year for this species here. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing - Ornithoptera alexandrae, the world's largest butterfly, male wingspan 19cm female 24 cm. Swallowtail - Papilio machaon, Britain's largest butterfly, wingspan 7cm. Print from a recent painting www.richardlewington.co.uk/album.php?id...

"Black hairstreak butterflies are another key endangered species which can be found here, as the mixture of mature and young blackthorn along the old drover’s track creates the perfect conditions for them to thrive." £300,000 appeal to buy the woodland that the owners are selling. Otherwise???

How is this even possible, Lugg Meadow is of immense biodiversity and historic importance, it represents a type of site which should be totally protected, including a buffer around it to maintain site from adjacent land use changes including development.

Why are more people getting Lyme disease? This BBC Sounds episode of The Inquiry explores why global cases are on the rise - a recent British Medical Journal review has found that up to 10% of people have infected with the bacteria causing Lyme disease. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Last year saw 10 amazing young people aged between 16-25 joining our first-ever Youth Panel! Since then, the panel have spoken up for nature and youth empowerment at marches and events, attended residentials and launched their first Zine 👉 https://butterfly-conservation.org/youth-panel

That moment when you get to your final trap of the morning.... 😲 @Bawdsey_Hall @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk

With less than 2 weeks until the UKBMS 50th Anniversary conference we're sharing details of the talks and speakers. Our very own Ian Middlebrook, Programme Lead for the UKBMS, will run an optional workshop on the UKBMS website. Book your free place here ⬇️ buff.ly/Kg7X3tA

The Cosmopolitan (Leucania loreyi) to light at @Bawdsey_Hall last night. Only the third Bawdsey record and first for twelve years. It's a proper rare migrant in Suffolk. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk

Lots of butterflies in the sunshine yesterday along the Waveney Valley. Plenty of whites, Small Heath, Common Blue, Red Admiral plus two that settled for long enough & caught with the phone camera, a worn Small Copper and Speckled Wood @bc-suffolk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Hello October! Or should that be Moth-tober? 🎃🦋 With autumn well underway, keep an eye out for these butterflies and moths in your gardens and local green spaces.

2025 will mark another bad year for the Dark Green Frit (grote parelmoer, S aglaja) with numbers comparable to 2023 and 2024 in NL (=low). Once widespread throughout the country, and numbers ten years ago still good, now reasonable numbers only on Vlieland and N-Texel (the islands in the NW).

Bit of a Clouded Yellow day at Landguard this p.m. with a walk around the Butts area only producing 19 individuals including 2 Helice females, a single Hummingbird Hawkmoth and 5 Stonechats at the nw end.

56/14 1NFY VC13 #TeamMoth Agrochola lychnidis. Beaded Chestnut. Needed to look through a lot of light coloured Lunar Underwing to find one for this year’s species list.

From Landguard, Lunar Underwing is a regular in the traps in small numbers at this season.

Moth trapping on the edge of ancient woodland in Long Melford, Suffolk last night produced 19 species, including Pale Pinion (2), Clancy's Rustic, a migrant Pearly Underwing and a Green-brindled Crescent. Several species were only found on Ivy blossom. #mothsmatter

A nice trio of autumnal sallows in the trap, Barred, Dusky Lemon and plain Sallow

At Landguard today the first 3 autumn Stonechats were noted also 3 Black Redstarts and a Common Redstart with a small number of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits present. 5 Clouded Yellows and a late Meadow Brown on the Butts Area with a few Small Coppers, Common Blues and Small Whites

A rather strange Lesser Yellow Underwing with one forewing much smaller than the other. Caught by actinic light on 27 Sep in SW Ipswich @mothiduk.bsky.social

This is utterly horrific. Literally blocking the ability of people to object to nature being trashed and destroyed. What a lovely govt we have!! www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Asters or Michaelmas daisies provide vibrant, colourful blooms well into autumn and are a vital source of nectar for bees and butterflies at this time of year. Named after the Christian feast of St. Michael (Michaelmas), celebrated on 29 September, look out for them flowering near you.

....and thats a wrap! Today is the last day to carry out a survey for the 'core' UKBMS survey weeks. 🤞 the weather has been good enough to fit in your final survey. Don't forget to get all your data entered by the END OF OCT, otherwise it may not be included in the analysis 📋 📊 Thank you!

#Southernsmallwhite - Pieris mannii - is still active in my area E of #Ghent, Belgium. This one was in the garden yesterday. It is a typical autumn female; lots of dusting between discal and apical spot, discal spot not confined by the veins and a vague discal spot on hindwing. #urbanbiodiversity

The Painted Lady (distelvlinder, V cardui) was only seen in low numbers on Dutch Butterfly Monitoring transects this year. It is a migrant species, and the graphs show that 1996, 2003, 2009 and 2019 had large invasions, the other years just a few managed their way to NL.

Please spread the word – we urgently need more Lyme-literate doctors, the NHS must take this seriously, @ukhsa.bsky.social needs to log ALL cases. How many more Millys are there out there who believe they have long covid or other illnesses and they actually have undiagnosed Lyme?

@neilsmothman.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social a Golden twin-spot taken at light at Landguard today

From Landguard, Beet Moth first turned up five years ago but is now a regular.

Brilliant analysis from our German partner. The Grassland Butterfly Index GBI is one of the ways that Member States can assess to health of agro-ecosystems under the new EU Nature Restoration Regulation. We hope that Germany adopts this now they have such good data.

If you pick up the Guardian Weekend Magazine today, please read about my daughter Milly’s battle with Lyme disease. And if you’re feeling bold, drop your copy into your local GP. There are thousands of Millys out there. Most are currently not helped at all by the NHS or, worse, not believed.

Vestal from @Bawdsey_Hall last night. Two were trapped last night; with another singleton earlier this week. @MigrantMothUK @BC_Suffolk

Curious to see a Brimstone this late in the year, but a few have been seen in Dorset in the last week according to our sightings page. Anyone know what has caused them to come out of hibernation?

Over the past year, we've helped 2,443 children get involved in creating #WildSpaces for butterflies and moths in their school grounds 🌱🏫 Hear more from Wild Spaces Project Officer Angus and the schools involved 👉 https://youtu.be/wr_bFhubgC4?feature=shared #HeritageFund

Winds swing to the S or SE today as we start to draw in a narrow band of mild tropical maritime air from west of the Canaries, courtesy of Hurricane Gabrielle. Activity tonight likely to be restricted to the far west. Tomorrow the pick of the nights as the mild band of air is pushed E. #teammoth

From Landguard, Satin Wave is normally done and dusted by now with this one our first since late August.

Eastern Nycteoline new for Norfolk. Confirmed female trapped in VC28 Norfolk on 19/09/2025 - Ric Sandifer. norfolkmoths.co.uk/index.php?bf... #norfolkmoths

At Landguard this morning a probable migrant Dusky lemon Sallow was in one of the moth traps @neilsmothman.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

From Landguard, Now on the IUCN Red List as 'near threatened', this is our first Dusky-lemon Sallow for three years.

Too many celebrities think that keeping honeybees addresses the #BiodiversityEmergency. Such a shame, they could do so much more with their money.

British wildlife is in desperate straits We have a government elected to champion nature, but which is now championing its destruction It is vital that every one of us works at the local level to do everything we can to prioritise nature www.theguardian.com/environment/...

2/ Farmland bird populations declined by 62% since 1970 & by 11% in just the last five years. Specialists like Turtle Dove, Tree Sparrow, Grey Partridge, Corn Bunting & Starling are down by more than 80% since 1970. Generalist species such as Woodpigeon, Jackdaw & Goldfinch have more than doubled.

Sat 11th Oct 2025 2.15 pm Suffolk Branch Members' Afternoon 2025 at Earl Stonham Village Hall, IP14 5HJ Pete Eeles will be our guest speaker. He runs the UK Butterflies website & has recently published British and Irish Butterfly Rarities See suffolkbutterflies.org.uk

From Landguard, Nationally scare, Shore Wainscot has been having a small second emergence in recent years.

Migrant Sable (Diasemiopsis ramburialis) @Bawdsey_Hall last night. Also Vestal, 3 Scarce Bordered Straw, Small Mottled Willow & 2 Pearly Underwing. @BC_Suffolk @MigrantMothUK

The point of going to university is to explore research and knowledge, not to start an effing business. The skills and experiences gained might help you start a business, as might the interactions with the people you meet, but it is not the purpose of a degree. Fed up of this manure.

Saw some clouded yellows fluttering around today, very bright yellow! @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Hopefully we have saved the best until last, with much of England & Wales remaining in the mild airstream overnight. Several sites (especially on the south coast) could be set for the best migrant night of the year so far. Unfortunately Scotland & Ireland will have a much colder night #teammoth

Convolvulus Hawk-moth @Bawdsey_Hall last night. @BC_Suffolk @MigrantMothUK

Want to see more butterflies and moths in your garden? 🦋🪴 We’ve teamed up with @gardenorganicuk.bsky.social to share advice on how you can make your garden a haven for butterflies and other wildlife without using synthetic pesticides 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/blog/organic... 📷: Sue Earnshaw

See also our recent press release: www.ceh.ac.uk/press/positi... And the full paper in @jappliedecology.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #butterflies #NatureFriendlyFarming

While I was cleaning up the moth trap this morning a male southern small white was already flying around in the garden. See how the discal spot touches the surrounding veins over a few mm, in male small white this spot is smaller and does not or only barely touch the veins. #butterflyID