Spring Usher

The warmer weather has produced a few moths; my first Chestnut on Wednesday along with 5 Pale Brindled Beauty and this evening the first Spring Usher of the year. I usually only catch two or three Spring Usher so its good to get one right at the start of their flight period.

Spring Usher

The National press has covered the publication today of 'The State of Britain's Larger Moths' which records a 40% decline in moth populations in southern Britain in the last 40 years and an 11% decline in northern Britain over the same period. The difference is attributed to the scale of habitat loss in the south and species moving northwards in response to climate change.

Across Britain, the total abundance of larger moths declined significantly, by 28%, during the 40-year period from 1968 to 2007. 
The full report is available from Butterfly Conservation.