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artiebea.bsky.social
Artiebea
@artiebea.bsky.social
240 followers 390 following 65 posts
Fungi, moths, botany, birds, trees, music, long-distance walking. And more music, always more music. I most recently moved from Keele, Staffordshire (VC39) and I'm now living alongside the Dee Estuary, Cheshire (VC58). Rob
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artiebea.bsky.social
My own mini-herd of 8 Elephant HM in my latest, along with the 2nd Swallow-tail of the week. Sycamore, Blackneck, Mother of Pearl, Rivulet, Scalloped Oak, & Chinese C. amongst the best of the rest. A Least YU made a nice change to the DOZENS of LYU!
27 June, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria) Blackneck (Lygephila pastinum) Sycamore (Acronicta aceris) Mother of Pearl (Patania ruralis)
June 29, 2025 at 10:48 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
156:47 on Weds night, but plenty to enjoy before I'd even started on the traps! Sitting on the fence: Brimstone Moth, Garden Carpet, Tortrix viridana, Peppered Moth, Green Pug, Clouded Silver, Grey (Dark?) Dagger, and a lovely Argyresthia brockeella.
11 June, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Clouded Silver (Lomographa temerata) Green Pug (Pasiphila rectangulata) Dark / Grey Dagger (Acronicta tridens/psi) Argyresthia brockeella (Gold W)
June 13, 2025 at 9:33 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
A Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata); another one from Wednesday morning's walk around Ness Botanic Gardens.
11 June, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
#bugsky #ukwildlife #insects #beetels #inverts
Spotted Longhorn Beetle (Rutpela maculata)
June 13, 2025 at 8:40 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) on Wednesday morning's walk around Ness Botanic Gardens.
11 June, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
#bugsky #ukwildlife #insects #inverts #dragonfly
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)
June 13, 2025 at 8:18 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Generally speaking, I don't enjoy being watched; but in this case I didn't mind at all!
Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthus ocellata)
12 June, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthus ocellata). An attractive, somewhat lavender-pink, hawk moth; when disturbed it will flash it's hindwings and display a pair of intense blue & black eyes. Beautiful, but quite startling!
June 13, 2025 at 7:52 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Peppered Moth (Biston betularia). I almost missed this one hidden away in a corner of the garden fencing. I love how moths so often know the best places to hide in plain sight!
30 May, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Peppered Moth (Biston betularia)
May 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Small Magpie (Anania hortulata). One of the larger micro-moths, they're certainly easier to spot & identify than many of the smaller examples! Quite common, but my first for this year; I think they're beautiful.
30 May, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Small Magpie (Anania hortulata)
May 31, 2025 at 2:20 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
The weather conditions today must have been perfect for micro moths because the meadows at Ness were absolutely teeming with them! Here's a Grapholita compositella (Meadow Tortrix), not the smallest moth I manged to snap (that may have been the Pea Moth), but still absolutely tiny!
#TeamMoth
It's always a joy to visit Ness Botanic Garden, we live just a few minutes away and we call in there most days. But today the weather conditions must have been perfect for micro moths because the meadows were absolutely teeming with them! Here's a Grapholita compositella (Meadow Tortrix), not the smallest I manged to snap a photo of (that may have been the Pea Moth), but still pretty tiny!
May 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Celypha lacunana (Common Marble). Another one from this morning's walk around the meadows at Ness Botanic Gardens.
24 May, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Celypha lacunana (Common Marble)
May 24, 2025 at 3:58 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Arms at full stretch, trying to hold my phone steady whilst attempting to take a photo of this Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata). Not easy, or entirely successful - but it was nice to see anyway!
24 May, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata)
May 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata). It was a joy to watch several of these gorgeous moths flying around the meadows at Ness Botanic Gardens this morning!
24 May, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Yellow Shell (Camptogramma bilineata)
May 24, 2025 at 3:42 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
A stunning Four-banded Longhorn Beetle (Leptura quadrifasciata) was one of the highlights of this morning's walk along the Dee Estuary at Ness.
24 May, Ness, Cheshire (VC58)
Four-banded Longhorn Beetle (Leptura quadrifasciata)
May 24, 2025 at 3:34 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
A Common Carpet on this morning's walk. With a soundtrack provided by Sedge, Reed & Cetti's Warblers; along with Whitethroat, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, and Meadow Pipits. Probably not the safest place to be for a lovely little moth!
11 May, Neston Reed Beds, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth #UKbirding
A Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata) resting amongst Buttercups and surrounded by dozens of warblers all looking for little moths!
May 11, 2025 at 10:35 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Overnight temps went down to 7c & took the moth count with it. 11:9, but 3 other nfy's to add to the Feathered Leaf-cutter, so that's something: Foxglove Pug, an extremely flighty Small Phoenix & possibly a Vine's Rustic? If so that'd be first for me!
4 May, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Vine's Rustic (Hoplodrina ambigua) Small Phoenix (Ecliptopera silaceata) I lost this one twice whilst trying to take a photo & then ended up having to resort to a pot shot! Foxglove Pug (Eupithecia pulchellata)
May 4, 2025 at 3:09 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
First moth of the night, before I'd even turned on the light! Incurvaria masculella (Feathered Leaf-cutter). Lovely little thing & nice to spot, but I hope it doesn't end up being the star of this session! Though given how cool & clear it is, I wouldn't be surprised!
TeamMoth
Incurvaria masculella (Feathered Leaf-cutter)
May 3, 2025 at 8:15 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
79:22 last night & a bit of a Brimstone fest (13) although the Australian Orange-tip's led the list at 22! Other NFY's: Bee Moth; Garden Carpet; Lesser Wax Moth; Lychnis; Muslin; Pebble Prominent; Spectacle; Sulphur Bark Moth; Twenty-plume Moth.
30 Apr, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) The Spectacle (Abrostola tripartite) Australian Orange-tip (Tachystola acroxantha)
April 30, 2025 at 3:25 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Came across a nice patch of Nettle Rust (Puccinia urticate) on this mornings walk around Heswall. It's not an uncommon fungus, and the vivid orange easily stands out against the lush green of Stinging Nettles. But it's always worth enduring a few stings in order to get a close up view!
#fungifriends
April 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Always nice to find a bonus moth! This Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata) was tucked away underneath the lip of the garage door - a nice surprise & a pleasant diversion from afternoon chores!
26 Apr, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)

#TeamMoth
Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)
April 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
11:9 last night including a lovely Pebble Hook-tip, along with 4 other nfy's: Common Pug 1; Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet 1; Dark Sword-grass 1; Red-green Carpet 1. Plus: Double-striped Pug 1; Oak Tree Pug 1; Shuttle-shaped Dart 3; Waved Umber 1.
26 Apr, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)

#TeamMoth
Pebble Hook-tip Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Red-green Carpet
April 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
Checking around the moth trap this morning, I was thrilled to find this Hawthorn Shieldbug nestled in the bark of a Weeping Birch. It was one of the stars of this morning's show, though I keep hoping to convince myself that it's actually a Birch Shieldbug! It isn't...is it?!
#TeamMoth #Shieldbug
Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale) A large, distinctive & common shieldbug, vaguely similar to the less common Birch Shieldbug - which I'd like to find!
April 18, 2025 at 3:20 PM
artiebea.bsky.social
A modest, but nicely varied 18:9 last night; hopefully a sign of better things to come!
Brimstone Moth 1; Brindled Pug 1; DS Pug 5; Early Grey 3; Heb Ch 1; Least Black Arches 3; Shuttle-shaped Dart 2; Swallow Prominent 1; Waved Umber 1.
18 Apr, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth
Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta) Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula)
April 18, 2025 at 10:59 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
A cool, clear night & I almost didn't put the trap out, but went ahead anyway! Sound familiar? An unsurprising 13:4, but this Common Quaker, resting on the fence, showed nicely. It's my 65th CQ of the year & it's easy to take them for granted, but they really are lovely moths.
#TeamMoth #MothTrap
April 5, 2025 at 7:39 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Black Sexton Beetle (Nicrophorus humator)
April 4, 2025 at 8:09 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
24:9 last night with 4 NFG's, all in single figures: Oak Nycteoline, Common Plume, Agonopterix arenella and the star of the night: A Purple Thorn. Although a Black Sexton Beetle was also rather stunning & my first Big Bug of the year!
4 Apr, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#TeamMoth #MothTrap
April 4, 2025 at 8:08 AM
artiebea.bsky.social
Yay - at last! I was really happy to find my first Herald of the year in the trap this morning!
It more than made up for last night's rather modest 14:6, with just 3 C Quaker, 2 C Drab, 2 E Grey, 3 H Character, 3 S Quaker. And a Herald!
31 Mar, Little Neston, Cheshire (VC58)
#teammoth
The Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) one of my favourite moths!
March 31, 2025 at 7:58 AM