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Tag Archives: Winter moth

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28 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

British moths, Erannis defoliaria, moth, moths attracted to lights, Mottled umber, Operophtera brumata, Winter moth

Over the summer months I discovered how productive the solid fencing around this building site alongside the River Taff was for insect finds. A section of the fence along the access track to the site was where I saw my first Large white butterfly pupae and, subsequently, the parasitic wasps that preyed on them and were, in turn, the victims of other parasitic wasps (see Large whites and parasitism, part 1, 23 June and Large whites and parasitism, part 2, 24 June).

The interesting finds have continued with the changing seasons. Yesterday, when I walked slowly past, though there were several different creatures (including at least one Noble false widow spider), the highlights were moths, drawn to the wall, no doubt, by the lights that illuminate the wall at night. Yesterday’s finds were four Winter moths (Operophtera brumata) and a Mottled umber (Erannis defoliaria).

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Moth hot spot

06 Wednesday Oct 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

British moths, Large ranunculus, moths, Mottled umber, Peppered moth, Small dusty wave, Winter moth

As I’ve mentioned before, my living situation doesn’t lend itself to having a moth trap but there is a local site where I often see moths if I’m out walking in the early mornings. As you can see from the photo below, a streetlight (red arrow) sits above a footpath between two blocks of terraced houses. The light attracts the moths, which then sometimes shelter on the walls (blue arrows) during the day.

211006 mothing spot

As well as the Early grey and Early thorn found back in 2018, I’ve since discovered several more beautiful moths on these walls. The first three, seen last year, are Mottled umber (Erannis defoliaria), the Peppered moth (Biston betularia), and the Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) – you might remember I blogged about the larva of this last moth earlier in the year (Caterpillar in a tent, May 2021).

211006 1 Mottled umber
211006 2 Peppered
211006 3 winter moth

These next two are more recent sightings, both spotted in the past month. The first is Small dusty wave (Idaea seriata), the second Large ranunculus (Polymixis flavicincta).

211006 4 Small Dusty Wave211006 5 Large Ranunculus

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Caterpillar in a tent

15 Saturday May 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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British moths, damage to Hazel leaves, Hazel, Hazel leaves, moth caterpillar, Operophtera brumata, Winter moth

While wandering through my favourite woodland earlier this week, I noticed small areas of damage on some Hazel leaves. It looked like a little critter had been munching on them and, checking further, I soon discovered a lot of leaves had suffered similar damage.

Closer inspection of one particular leaf soon revealed the culprit, a caterpillar, tucked away in a snug little tent it had created by binding two leaves together with silken thread. From there it could easily venture out to eat, yet retreat when threatened by predators or bad weather. Smart thinking!

210515 winter moth (2)

I think the caterpillar may be the larva of a Winter moth (Operophtera brumata) but I haven’t yet been able to confirm my identification (Update 16/5: ID now confirmed as Winter moth). Once I was alert to their presence, I noticed more leaf damage and several more ‘tents’, as well as a smaller caterpillar feeding out in the open.

210515 winter moth (3)
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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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