Very quiet couple of weeks in my garden. A trawl through my notes suggests that although there were very good moths through July and August the total numbers (ie biomass!) was less than last year. I think things may be catching up through good second/third broods – which bodes well for next year. And good second broods in the area probably accounts for a few of my new garden records (eg lunar yellow underwing), and unexpected late things like heart and dart.
I checked my patches of ivy today and they are just coming into flower, so I’ll have a look again this autumn. It was good last year to see sallow and angle-shades nectaring, well away from the MV.
Incidentally, anyone in sandy areas might like to keep an eye open for a pretty solitary bee called Colletes hederae. A recent colonist which is now fairy common along the south coast and is recorded from Essex, but as far as I know not yet from Suffolk. Easy to spot – it visits ivy blossom (in the day!), and nests in sandy places. Orange thorax and ringed abdomen. This year has been good for bees – especially bumbles. The recent colonist Bombus hypnorum (the tree bumble-bee) was quite common earlier in the summer (in my garden it was especially fond of buckthorn flowers).
I’ve been watching out for that bee for the last few years here at IGC, no luck yet but will be searching again once the Ivy comes into flower here. It’s not quite out yet.
I agree on second broods, some e.g Light emerald and Maiden’s blush have been around in very good numbers here. Will be interesting to compare the figures for this year with previous years as I too think that actual moth numbers will be lower.
Very interesting, will look out for it on the extensive Ivy at Ashby!