Fantastic show by Lacuna Coil at Northumbria Uni last night, best gig I've been to in a long while. Superb!

Always nice to have a Blackcap in the garden

Saxon still banging out mighty metal anthems 45 years after I first saw them live at Monsters of Rock Donington, Biff Byford at 74 (I kid you not) sounds as good as ever. Great night at City Hall Newcassel.

Traps poor this week but indoors we've had 40+ of these Vitula serratilineela (N. American Bee Moth) likely bred in an old Tree Bee nest in the attic and getting into the upstairs bathroom via gaps in ceiling fittings. A national rarity but NE England a bit of a stronghold. #DurhamVC66 #TeamMoth

Not a lot in last night's trap (11:7) but December Moth was our earliest record, a couple of Feathered Thorns, beautifully marked Mottled Umber and Acleris hyemana is a garden first, so not too shabby. Durham VC66 #TeamMoth

Not much doing moth-wise at the mo, so here's something for your amusement from a few years ago when I first got interested in trapping and realised many moth names were also good names for Heavy Metal bands, my other passion. 😀🤘 #TeamMoth

Got this beaut of an Epirrita sp. moth at the weekend. Though shows outward signs of Autumnal, due to it likely being a female even dissection wouldn't reveal the true species (not that I would), so just like all the dull specimens we got it'll go down as an aggregate. What a shame. #TeamMoth #VC66

A Marvel of Mervs, (for want of a better collective noun) #DurhamVC66 #TeamMoth

Marvellous Merv. #MerveilleDuJour

Cloudless skies and low temperatures so touch and go whether to put the trap out at all last night, then checked at 9.45 to find this beauty inside. Could hardly believe it. Only 6 Co. Durham records before this year, just shows the unpredictability of mothing. #ClifdenNonpareil #TeamMoth #VC66

A very vocal Ring-necked Parakeet was a flyover garden tick this morning as I tended the moth trap early doors. #Whickham #VC66

Found in a Sunderland cemetery yesterday, around 30 final instar nymphs and adult Juniper Shieldbugs on a lone Lawson's Cypress. A pleasing find as I fear they've gone from the previous known site there after checking it without success for the third time this year.

@vc40orthops.bsky.social Hi David, my eldest boy is currently on a work placement near Hamburg, saw this as he left work today, said it looks similar to normal ones in terms of colour but nothing normal about it, it was massive (without giving actual size) any ideas on species? Thanks.

Some interesting caterpillars from our jollies in Norfolk (early Aug), Buff Tips and Reed Dagger spotted at RSPB Lakenheath, Eyed Hawkmoth (?) from our cottage garden (on Crab apple) at Upwell, though the green one (WWT Welney) has us baffled if anyone from #TeamMoth can enlighten us, thanks.

Willow Emerald damselfly posing nicely at the bottom of our Norfolk cottage garden last week.

A couple of Wasp Spiders from outside the visitor centre at RSPB Lakenheath. Beauties.

Small Red-eyed Damselflies, male and female, from RSPB Lakenheath last week.

Some close encounters with Dragons & Damsels this week in NW Norfolk, Brown Hawker at WWT Welney, Red-eyed Damselfly from Upwell and ovipositing Emperor from the moat at NT Oxburgh.

Tried a Lunar Hornet Moth lure from the garden more in hope than expectation but Bingo! One turned up first go, and what a cracking moth he is too. #VC66 #Moths

Beautiful Golden Y, and isn't it just . . . #VC66 #Moths

Spectacle-ular views. #VC66

Setting the Moth Trap up on Friday evening I found a floppy Ghost Moth female on the grass, obv. just emerged, the boy found the pupa sticking out of the ground so we dug it out. The Moth hardened its wings safely and flew off as soon as she was ready. Bonus as we've not seen one locally. #TeamMoth

Friday's moth trap brought out a few A-listers with Buff-tip, Peppered Moth, Elephant Hawk-moth and Pale Prominent among my favourites from a very productive session despite the rain. VC66 #TeamMoth

A poor year so far for shieldbugs locally. This Parent Bug was my first of the year, only 1 Hairy, 4 final instar Forest Bugs and just 3 Greens. The disaster of last spring seems to have had a knock-on effect. Other common species not seen at all on a decent search of a regular patch.

Violet Ground-Beetle scurrying away with part of a dissected slug, worthwhile torch-scanning the garden during a moth trap check as the local hedgehog was also foraging away (Friday night.) VC66

A cracking hike over the Nth Yorks Moors to Roseberry Topping produced a wealth of insects. A Green Hairstreak posed nicely, Two-barred Longhorn Beetle and a huge Drinker Moth caterpillar were highlights. also many Latticed and Common Heaths, Emperor Moths, Green Tiger Beetles, and a Cuckoo calling.

A selection of greens in and around the trap this week, V-Pug is new for garden, Red-Green Carpet a very common visitor, Yellow-barred Brindle is our first in the county (previously seen in Norfolk) and the Lichen Tortrix (Acleris literana) is a welcome lifer. VC66 #TeamMoth

A trip to the Durham Dales didn't produce any Adders today, but small consolation in a few Green Tiger Beetles and suspicious mounds revealed Yellow Meadow Ants, a species we've seen all over the country but these the first in our home county. Scenery was superb on a bright, sunny afternoon.

Four year firsts this weekend taking my Shieldbug 2025 list up to 7 species. Hawthorn, Birch, Bronze and Hairy.

Only 14 moths came to the trap overnight Fri/Sat VC66 but always nice to get a lifer, in this case Oak Nycteoline, and our first Streamer of the Year was a lovely specimen. #TeamMoth

There we were playing Table Tennis out in the garden this afternoon and the boy noticed something drop onto the table from the adjacent Cherry trees which turned out to be the shed skin of a Forest Bug nymph, the size of it probably a 2nd to 3rd, will have to scan the trees tomorrow methinks.

A couple of Gorse Shieldbugs (Piezodorus lituratis) sunning themselves in Brambles on Monday were first of the year locally, species number three of that particular group for 2025. Durham VC66

Early Thorn and Shoulder Stripe were new for year in last night's trap, as were Double-striped Pug and Twenty-Plume Moth (x3), 56 of 13 species, VC66 #TeamMoth

From the trap overnight Tues/Wed, a first ever piceata form of Water Carpet, and new for year 2x Twin-spot Quakers and 3x Clouded Drab. Whickham VC66 #TeamMoth

A Beautiful Plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla) appeared on the blinds of the conservatory this morning before being released into the wild.

A couple of basking brown Green Shieldbugs (Palomena prasina) from the garden today, shieldbug species number 2 for the year, didn't see any 'til mid-April last year. #VC66

Only had the trap out 'til 10.30 on Thursday but attracted 50 moths by then. Highlights were a very early Water Carpet, 3 of our local speciality Rhigognostis incarnatella, first Satellite of the year and 5x Oak Beauties appearing everywhere but in the trap. #VC66 #TeamMoth

My first butterfly of the year seen today, a Peacock. It was a flypast at the end of our road so the photo is just to illustrate. Lots of solitary bees (no ID) in one area of NT Gibside and a couple of Queen Bumblers flying about. Spring is busy springing at the north end of Co Durham. #VC66

This crisp reminded me of a bird, but can't quite put a species to it. Any ideas?

First moth trap of the year for us last night (and first ever with the new Safari trap), perhaps fitting that first attracted to the light was a March Moth, also half a dozen Common Quakers, an Early Grey, 2x luvverly Oak Beauties and a selection of micros. 15 moths of 7 or 8 species VC66 #TeamMoth

A couple of tiny Forest Bug (Pentatoma rufipes) nymphs on a roadside fence are my first Shieldbugs of any species for the year.

A couple of Drone Flies in the front garden yesterday, first insects of note this year.

Very few insects about so a couple of birdies seen locally, male Blackcap been coming to the garden for the last four weeks now, and a drake Pochard at a local pond is quite a rare sighting these days in Gateshead.

Always nice to see a Blackcap in the garden, this one sat preening and stretching in the sunshine for a good while early afternoon.

@vc40ladybirds.bsky.social Hi Maria, any thoughts on the ID of this strangely-marked ladybird? Thinking 10-spot but would value your input. Old photo from July '21. Thanks

Hi @mothiduk.bsky.social , can these be identified from the poor photos/specimens, all from East Norfolk, late July/early August. Thanks

Random photos of 2024 no. 5 - Rhinoceros Beetle (Sinodendron cylindricum) was a surprise garden visitor in June, found on the trampoline by the boy, first and (to date) only one we've seen.

Random photos of 2024 no.4 - Observing the Hairy (Dolycoris baccarum) Shieldbugs in the garden wild patch during June. Wearing a space helmet, a tragic end, plenty of eggs, watching them hatch.

Random photos of 2024 no.3 - Still in May, new beetle species for us on a half term trip to the Derbyshire Dales. A spectacular Ladder-marked Longhorn (Saperda scalaris), the Tortoise Beetle Cassida vibex and the Garden Chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) none of which are found back home in Co Durham