Back in action

Hello all and apologies for the interruption in service while I carried out my sponsored row from Oxford to London.  Thanks ever so much to everyone who has supported me and here are some pics. More can be found on the funding web page gogetfunding.com/rowing-down-the-river.

Back at home, I ran the moth trap last night and found one novelty, this attractive and quite large micro, Hypsopygia glaucinalis, perching on the classiest egg box (Burford Browns are lovely, with rich orangey-yellow yolks). The moth has been here before on several occasions, always at this time of the year. It's a pleasure to welcome it again.

There've been some complaints on the excellent Upper Thames Moths blog about Large Yellow Underwings being scarce this year. That isn't the case with me. Not only are they abundant but last night's were more willing than usual to show their yellow petticoats which give the moths their name but are normally unseen.

Mind you, the last one didn't have much choice in the matter since he or she was definitely dead. As were the hornet being shoved around by a red and black Burying Beetle, and some kind of moth, wasp or bee shown in a spider's larder in these two rather gruesome pictures which end my thoughts for today.