NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Summertime lived up to all of the hype and billing. The sun shone, the rain stayed away and the temperature soared. It was a good time to trawl the countryside for plants, butterflies and moths. Instead of remembering to pack the waterproofs it was sunscreen and water that you needed to make sure that you had onboard. The garden MV is at its most productive at this time of year, and in line with previous summers a number of new species for the site appeared, most notable of which were Great Oak Beauty, Kent Black Arches, The Mocha (above) and Oak Processionary. Moth numbers, although not at levels that were enjoyed 20-30 years ago, seemed to be a bit higher than those of the past few years. Another lepidopteran highlight occurred at the end of July, when a single Silver-washed Fritillary alighted a back garden buddleia (below) - the first recorded here and indicative of a number of species that were wandering from their breeding sites in the hot weather. It was also a good summer ...

With the hot weather continuing so does the incidence of moths wandering away from their 'normal' haunts. After yesterday's two Kent Black Arches I was delighted to find this superb Mocha in the MV - another addition to the back garden list. This often happens, a run of consecutive nights when new species are recorded here in Banstead. It is as if there is a shift in the air above the garden, bringing in a conveyor belt of moths that originate from exotic places.