Natural History Diary : July 2026
Thursday 16th July
Another warm day and there were lots of butterflies in the garden again. I saw 15 species, which is a pretty good number. As in previous days Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown were the most numerous. I saw all five of the common nymphalids, four Common Blues] including a female, a Small Copper and two Brown Argus. At the allotment in the afternoon I saw a Common Blue, a Painted Lady, and three Common Blue Damselflies. Birds seen near the garden were two Jays and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Wednesday 15th July
Although there were 43 species in the trap this morning, there were only 132 moths. and 40% of these were accounted for by two species. A new species for me was Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix. Firsts of the year were Dusky Thorn, Maple Pug, September Thorn and Triple-spotted Nest Moth. The most numerous species was Willow Ermine with 26, followed by Rustic with 23. Of note were Early Thorn, Marbled Green, Pale Prominent and Small Mottled Willow.
Garden butterflies were much the same, but there seemed to be more Gatekeepers than yesterday. There were 13 species altogether. Also a couple of damselflies: a female Banded Demoiselle and a male Common Blue Damslefly.
Banded Demoiselle ♀, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
Box-tree Moth, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
Banded Demoiselle ♀ | Aston, Oxon Box-tree Moth | Aston, Oxon Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix | Aston, Oxon
Dusky Thorn, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
Maple Pug, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
September Thorn, Aston, Oxon, 15th Jul
Dusky Thorn | Aston, Oxon Maple Pug | Aston, Oxon September Thorn | Aston, Oxon
Tuesday 14th July
Quite a slow start but once the sun came out the usual butterflies were in the garden. However it was moths that were the main interest: firstly, I saw a Hummingbird Hawk-moth ovipositing on Hedge Bedstraw, and later in the afternoon a Red Underwing flew over me and landed on next door's wall.
Between these events I went to Dix Pit, where the western side was sheltered from the wind. It's not often that you walk through clouds of insects in this country, but there were so many Common Blue Damselflies in the grass that every step caused loads of them to fly up. I saw at least eight Brown Hawkers, but the main target was again Lesser Emperor. There were at least ten males flying over the grass. After a long wait for one to land, eventually one did so on a nettle stem and I was able to get some close-up shots (at last!). On the butterfly side Gatekeeper were numerous, as were Red Admirals, but these were eclipsed by four Clouded Yellows. A Hobby flew over - not surprising considering the number of dragonflies present.
Holly Blue ♂, Aston, Oxon, 14th Jul
Red Underwing, Aston, Oxon, 14th Jul
Brimstone ♂, Dix Pit, Oxon, 14th Jul
Holly Blue ♂ | Aston, Oxon Red Underwing | Aston, Oxon Brimstone ♂ | Dix Pit, Oxon
Brown Hawker ♀, Dix Pit, Oxon, 14th Jul
Lesser Emperor ♂, Dix Pit, Oxon, 14th Jul
Small Copper, Dix Pit, Oxon, 14th Jul
Brown Hawker ♀ | Dix Pit, Oxon Lesser Emperor ♂ | Dix Pit, Oxon Small Copper | Dix Pit, Oxon
Monday 13th July
A cooler day today, but still a gusty easterly wind. There was a good selection of garden butterflies again, particularly two Small Tortoiseshells (one pretty worn, the other quite fresh). There was also a Small Copper and two Brown Argus on Marjoram, and another one (possibly a female) feeding on Clover. Other nymphalids were Red Admiral, Peacock, Painted Lady and Comma. I also saw an immature male Blue-tailed Damselfly.
Brown Argus ♂, Aston, Oxon, 13th Jul
Small Copper ♂, Aston, Oxon, 13th Jul
Small Tortoiseshell, Aston, Oxon, 13th Jul
Brown Argus ♂ | Aston, Oxon Small Copper ♂ | Aston, Oxon Small Tortoiseshell | Aston, Oxon
Sunday 12th July
There were at least three Clouded Yellows at Hackpen Hill this morning, in sunny but windy conditions. I saw 14 other species, including Common Blue (12), Chalk Hill Blue (12), Brown Argus (6) and Painted Lady (5). Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers were numerous, and there were still a few rather tired Marbled Whites about. Also two Hummingbird Hawk-moths, which had a lot of trouble with the wind while they were trying to feed on thistle flowers, and a Dusky Sallow
Chalk Hill Blue ♂, Hackpen Hill, Oxon, 12th Jul
Clouded Yellow ♂, Hackpen Hill, Oxon, 12th Jul
Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Hackpen Hill, Oxon, 12th Jul
Chalk Hill Blue ♂ | Hackpen Hill, Oxon Clouded Yellow ♂ | Hackpen Hill, Oxon Hummingbird Hawk-moth | Hackpen Hill, Oxon
Painted Lady, Hackpen Hill, Oxon, 12th Jul
    
Painted Lady | Hackpen Hill, Oxon    
Saturday 11th July
After a mild night there were at least 167 live moths (there were many dead Water-veneer) from 49 species in the trap this morning. Two new garden records: Bright Straw and Codling Moth. Firsts of the year were Agrimony Case-bearer, Common Masoner, Bulrush Veneer, Chequered Grass-moth, European Corn-borer, Least Yellow Underwing, Marbled Green, Oak Longhorn, Rush Veneer and Shaded Broad-bar. First garden records for this year were Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and Ruby Tiger. The most numerous species was Rustic with 29. Nine Least Carpet were notable.
I saw 13 species of butterfly in the garden today, including three Painted Ladies, two Brown Argus and two Brimstone.
Chequered Grass-moth, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
European Corn-borer ♀, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Least Yellow Underwing, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Chequered Grass-moth | Aston, Oxon European Corn-borer ♀ | Aston, Oxon Least Yellow Underwing | Aston, Oxon
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing ♂, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Marbled Green, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Oak Longhorn, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing ♂ | Aston, Oxon Marbled Green | Aston, Oxon Oak Longhorn | Aston, Oxon
Rush Veneer, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Shaded Broad-bar, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Small Mottled Willow, Aston, Oxon, 11th Jul
Rush Veneer | Aston, Oxon Shaded Broad-bar | Aston, Oxon Small Mottled Willow | Aston, Oxon
Friday 10th July
I went to Radley Lakes this morning, in very warm conditions. I looked at Bullfield Lake, Thrupp Lake and Orchard Lake. There were lots of Common Blue Damselflies over the water at Bullfield and Thrupp, but none at Orchard. There were around 20 Red-eyed Damselflies, 2 Emperor Dragonflies, 2 Brown Hawkers, 2 Four-spotted Chasers, at least 20 Black-tailed Skimmers, and six Ruddy Darters. There weren't many butterflies about - probably too hot for them.
Between 19:00 and 20:00 I saw eleven species of butterfly in the garden. The temperature was still around 30°C. They were Large Skipper, Large White, Holly Blue, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Comma, Peacock, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Ringlet. I also saw two Box-tree Moths and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
Meadow Brown ♀, Aston, Oxon, 10th Jul
Peacock, Aston, Oxon, 10th Jul
Ringlet, Aston, Oxon, 10th Jul
Meadow Brown ♀ | Aston, Oxon Peacock | Aston, Oxon Ringlet | Aston, Oxon
Common Blue ♂, Radley Lakes, Oxon, 10th Jul
Red-eyed Damselfly ♂, Radley Lakes, Oxon, 10th Jul
  
Common Blue ♂ | Radley Lakes, Oxon Red-eyed Damselfly ♂ | Radley Lakes, Oxon  
Thursday 9th July
Another day where the temperature exceeded 30°C. At 7am there were three Green Woodpeckers in next door's garden - an adult and two juveniles. Goldfinches again came to feed on Knapweed seeds. I saw 14 species of butterfly during the day, including my first summer-brood Small Copper in the garden. Nympahlids seen were Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock and Comma. Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns were numerous.
Gatekeeper ♂, Aston, Oxon, 9th Jul
Green-veined White ♀, Aston, Oxon, 9th Jul
Meadow Brown ♂, Aston, Oxon, 9th Jul
Gatekeeper ♂ | Aston, Oxon Green-veined White ♀ | Aston, Oxon Meadow Brown ♂ | Aston, Oxon
Red Admiral, Aston, Oxon, 9th Jul
    
Red Admiral | Aston, Oxon    
Tuesday 7th July
First stop this morning was Parsonage Moor. Keeled Skimmers turned up quite quickly at the end of the boardwalk, but it took a while before I found a couple of Small Red Damselflies. There were also a few Southern, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies, and two Common Darters. I flushed a Scarlet Tiger. There were a few of the usual butterflies about. At nearby Cothill Fen a Banded Demoiselle was in the wood. I saw an Emperor Dragonfly and about six Black-tailed Skimmers on the lake.
I relocated to Dix Pit. I saw about 10 Lesser Emperors on the west side of it. They were spending a lot of time patrolling the adjacent grassland, and only coming back to the water occasionally. A pair in tandem landed in front of me, and the female started ovipositing. There was a Banded Demoiselle, hundreds of Common Blue Damselflies, a blue-form female Emperor Dragonfly (which was ovipositing), three Brown Hawkers and a Common Darter. There were lots of butterflies here, including a Clouded Yellow, at least seven Brown Argus and over 20 Gatekeeper. Moths - I found my first Shaded Broad-bar of the year, and also a couple of Willow Ermine which were sitting on a larval web.
Emperor Dragonfly ♀, Dix Pit, Oxon, 7th Jul
Lesser Emperor, Dix Pit, Oxon, 7th Jul
Lesser Emperor ♂, Dix Pit, Oxon, 7th Jul
Emperor Dragonfly ♀ | Dix Pit, Oxon Lesser Emperor | Dix Pit, Oxon Lesser Emperor ♂ | Dix Pit, Oxon
Keeled Skimmer ♂, Parsonage Moor, Oxon, 7th Jul
Small Red Damselfly ♂, Parsonage Moor, Oxon, 7th Jul
Southern Damselfly ♂, Parsonage Moor, Oxon, 7th Jul
Keeled Skimmer ♂ | Parsonage Moor, Oxon Small Red Damselfly ♂ | Parsonage Moor, Oxon Southern Damselfly ♂ | Parsonage Moor, Oxon
Monday 6th July
A pretty warm day. I took part in a butterfly survey on the MoD land at Otmoor. There were plenty of the usual butterfly species about. The highlights were Purple Hairstreak (at least 4) and Clouded Yellow (1). There were also second-brood Common Blues and Small Copper. There were a few moths of note: Lesser Cream Wave (4), Hummingbird Hawk-moth (2) and Latticed Heath (2). There were many Ruddy Darters at various stages of maturity, four Brown Hawkers and three of what looked like not fully mature Migrant Hawkers. There were quite a few Roesel's Busk-crickets and a Dark Bush-cricket. I also saw two Curlew - my first of the year!
Afterwards I had a walk round the car park field. Again there were many Ruddy Darters, along with four Common Blue Damselflies and a Beautiful Demoiselle. I saw another Purple Hairstreak.
Dark Bush-cricket ♂, Otmoor, Oxon, 6th Jul
Purple Hairstreak, Otmoor, Oxon, 6th Jul
Ruddy Darter ♂, Otmoor, Oxon, 6th Jul
Dark Bush-cricket ♂ | Otmoor, Oxon Purple Hairstreak | Otmoor, Oxon Ruddy Darter ♂ | Otmoor, Oxon
Sunday 5th July
Two moth traps were run in Alvescot overnight - my 6W actinic Heath trap and Chris's 125W MV Robinson trap. Between them they caught at least 323 moths from 67 species. Three species were new to me: Bright Straw, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix and Waved Black. Firsts of the year were Common Purple & Gold, Coronet, Drinker, Kent Black Arches, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Lunar-spotted Pinion, Pale Straw Pearl, Small Elephant Hawk-moth and Yellow-tail. Other notables were two Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 16 Elephant Hawk-moth, six Grey Dagger, a Privet Hawk-moth and three Small Mottled Willow. The most numerous species was Rustic with 36.
At home, garden butterflies were much as yesterday. A Speckled Wood was the first I'd seen in the garden since the end of May. There were two dragonflies: a Banded Demoiselle and a Common Darter.
Bright Straw, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Common Purple & Gold, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Coronet, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Bright Straw | Alvescot, Oxon Common Purple & Gold | Alvescot, Oxon Coronet | Alvescot, Oxon
Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Drinker ♂, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Lunar-spotted Pinion, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix | Alvescot, Oxon Drinker ♂ | Alvescot, Oxon Lunar-spotted Pinion | Alvescot, Oxon
Scalloped Oak, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Waved Black ♂, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Yellow-tail, Alvescot, Oxon, 5th Jul
Scalloped Oak | Alvescot, Oxon Waved Black ♂ | Alvescot, Oxon Yellow-tail | Alvescot, Oxon
Saturday 4th July
Early this morning I saw a young Fox in the sheep field - the first one I'd seen since moving here four years ago. At the same time there were two juvenile Green Woodpeckers in next door's garden. There were seven male Gatekeepers on Marjoram.
I went over to Standlake Common. I saw my first Southern Hawker of the year along Shifford Lane. Further along the lane there were lots of Large Whites, and there were even more over the field to the north (not sure what had attracted them). There were also good numbers of Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Peacock, along with six Commas, a Painted Lady, Holly Blues, a Meadow Brown, Green-veined Whites, Small Whites, Marbled Whites, Brimstone and Speckled Wood. I was looking for White-letter Hairstreaks but there was no sign of any. I saw a Fox in the pylon field. Dragonflies seen were at least 20 Common Blue Damselflies, two Beautiful Demoiselles, four Brown Hawkers, two more Southern Hawkers and a Black-tailed Skimmer.
Green Woodpecker (juv), Aston, Oxon, 4th Jul
Beautiful Demoiselle ♂, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Black-tailed Skimmer ♂, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Green Woodpecker (juv) | Aston, Oxon Beautiful Demoiselle ♂ | Standlake Common, Oxon Black-tailed Skimmer ♂ | Standlake Common, Oxon
Brown Hawker ♂, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Comma, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Holly Blue ♂, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Brown Hawker ♂ | Standlake Common, Oxon Comma | Standlake Common, Oxon Holly Blue ♂ | Standlake Common, Oxon
Large White ♀, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
Southern Hawker ♂, Standlake Common, Oxon, 4th Jul
  
Large White ♀ | Standlake Common, Oxon Southern Hawker ♂ | Standlake Common, Oxon  
Friday 3rd July
After a cool and clear night there were 54 moths from 21 species in the trap this morning. Firsts of the year were Dingy Footman (the all-yellow form straminoela) and Dusky Sallow. A Box-tree Moth was a first garden record. The most numerous species was Common Footman with 20. I found some Cinnabar larvae on garden Ragwort plants.
Garden butterfly species were much the same as yesterday. A Brown Argus was a new addition. Dragonflies were again Emperor and Brown Hawker.
Buff Ermine, Aston, Oxon, 3rd Jul
Dingy Footman, Aston, Oxon, 3rd Jul
Dusky Sallow, Aston, Oxon, 3rd Jul
Buff Ermine | Aston, Oxon Dingy Footman | Aston, Oxon Dusky Sallow | Aston, Oxon
Thursday 2nd July
A pretty good day for butterflies in the garden, with 14 species recorded. Marjoram was the nectar source of choice for Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown, and other species mostly preferred Knapweed. Pick of the day was a very fresh Painted Lady, which chose to feed on Purple Toadflax. Species seen were Large Skipper (3), Small Skipper (3), Brimstone (2), Large White (4), Small White (2), Green-veined White (2), Holly Blue (2), Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Peacock (2), Gatekeeper (4), Meadow Brown (8), Ringlet and Marbled White (3). There were also two dragonflies, an Emperor and a Brown Hawker.
Gatekeeper ♂, Aston, Oxon, 2nd Jul
Large Skipper ♂, Aston, Oxon, 2nd Jul
Large White ♀, Aston, Oxon, 2nd Jul
Gatekeeper ♂ | Aston, Oxon Large Skipper ♂ | Aston, Oxon Large White ♀ | Aston, Oxon
Painted Lady, Aston, Oxon, 2nd Jul
Small White ♀, Aston, Oxon, 2nd Jul
  
Painted Lady | Aston, Oxon Small White ♀ | Aston, Oxon