Richard Fox
@richardfoxbc.bsky.social
Head of Science at Butterfly Conservation - moth & butterfly sightings, science & conservation. (He/his)
Acleris notana (Tawny Birch Tortrix) found as a larva in a spun birch leaf at Yarner Wood, Devon back in August. The adult emerged the following month and identification was confirmed by gen. det. #teammoth
November 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Acleris notana (Tawny Birch Tortrix) found as a larva in a spun birch leaf at Yarner Wood, Devon back in August. The adult emerged the following month and identification was confirmed by gen. det. #teammoth
I’ve found the mines and larva of Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Hawthorn Tuft) before but this is the first adult I’ve seen - caught in my garden moth-trap in July and confirmed by gen. det. Love the little tuft of black scales in the middle of each forewing. #teammoth
November 2, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I’ve found the mines and larva of Bucculatrix bechsteinella (Hawthorn Tuft) before but this is the first adult I’ve seen - caught in my garden moth-trap in July and confirmed by gen. det. Love the little tuft of black scales in the middle of each forewing. #teammoth
Reposted by Richard Fox
Moths need darkness to thrive 🖤
But globally, light pollution is increasing by 10% a year, and these vital nocturnal pollinators need our help.
Find out how you can provide a haven for moths where you live by creating Moon Meadows 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/moon-meadows...
📷: Marian Coburn
But globally, light pollution is increasing by 10% a year, and these vital nocturnal pollinators need our help.
Find out how you can provide a haven for moths where you live by creating Moon Meadows 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/moon-meadows...
📷: Marian Coburn
October 31, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Moths need darkness to thrive 🖤
But globally, light pollution is increasing by 10% a year, and these vital nocturnal pollinators need our help.
Find out how you can provide a haven for moths where you live by creating Moon Meadows 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/moon-meadows...
📷: Marian Coburn
But globally, light pollution is increasing by 10% a year, and these vital nocturnal pollinators need our help.
Find out how you can provide a haven for moths where you live by creating Moon Meadows 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/moon-meadows...
📷: Marian Coburn
Slightly better moth trap haul this morning including first Yellow-line Quakers of the year and only my second Merv of the autumn. Good to see Feathers McThorn too (kudos to @mavisbickle.bsky.social for officially renaming Feathered Thorn!) #teammoth
October 31, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Slightly better moth trap haul this morning including first Yellow-line Quakers of the year and only my second Merv of the autumn. Good to see Feathers McThorn too (kudos to @mavisbickle.bsky.social for officially renaming Feathered Thorn!) #teammoth
Reposted by Richard Fox
We're thrilled to share this film featuring some of the dedicated volunteers who monitor butterflies for the UKBMS
A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years.
#UKBMS50
youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...
A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years.
#UKBMS50
youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...
Celebrating 50 years of butterfly monitoring
YouTube video by Butterfly Conservation
youtu.be
October 30, 2025 at 9:56 AM
We're thrilled to share this film featuring some of the dedicated volunteers who monitor butterflies for the UKBMS
A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years.
#UKBMS50
youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...
A huge thank you to them, and everyone who's supported the scheme over the last 50 years.
#UKBMS50
youtu.be/OrF5AgseX1U?...
There are still plenty of leaf mines about - this Stigmella atricapitella (Black-headed Dot) was NFY for me at the weekend on an oak by the village playing field. #teammoth
October 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
There are still plenty of leaf mines about - this Stigmella atricapitella (Black-headed Dot) was NFY for me at the weekend on an oak by the village playing field. #teammoth
Stigmella glutinosae (White-barred Alder Dot) mine found in the village today on Alder. The larva exited the mine (before photo was taken) but enabled me to see its dark, ventral, prothoracic plate which rules out S. alnetella. #teammoth
October 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Stigmella glutinosae (White-barred Alder Dot) mine found in the village today on Alder. The larva exited the mine (before photo was taken) but enabled me to see its dark, ventral, prothoracic plate which rules out S. alnetella. #teammoth
Larva of Teleiodes luculella (White Crescent) that I found at the weekend - it lives between two oak leaves that it has spun flat together and on which it also feeds. #teammoth
October 23, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Larva of Teleiodes luculella (White Crescent) that I found at the weekend - it lives between two oak leaves that it has spun flat together and on which it also feeds. #teammoth
Fascinating Swedish study proving that threatened butterflies can still disperse surprisingly long distances eg Marsh Fritillary >8km and more than 10% of Large Blues travelled at least 1km resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🌍
October 22, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Fascinating Swedish study proving that threatened butterflies can still disperse surprisingly long distances eg Marsh Fritillary >8km and more than 10% of Large Blues travelled at least 1km resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🌍
Belated ID of Gypsonoma oppressana (Mottled Grey Tortrix) feeing signs on poplar in Sept thanks to the fine folk at the leaf miners Facebook group. I thought you needed to see the larva to ID this species but the mine along the mid-rib is distinctive apparently. Every day’s a school day. #teammoth
October 21, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Belated ID of Gypsonoma oppressana (Mottled Grey Tortrix) feeing signs on poplar in Sept thanks to the fine folk at the leaf miners Facebook group. I thought you needed to see the larva to ID this species but the mine along the mid-rib is distinctive apparently. Every day’s a school day. #teammoth
Really nice paper from @tiff-ki.bsky.social & co. shows no overall decline in butterfly species richness in Sulawesi over 166 yrs, but changing communities with endemics & forest specialists declining. Short-term trends unreliable measures of long term. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 🌏
October 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Really nice paper from @tiff-ki.bsky.social & co. shows no overall decline in butterfly species richness in Sulawesi over 166 yrs, but changing communities with endemics & forest specialists declining. Short-term trends unreliable measures of long term. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 🌏
Some nice leafmines from a brief search in Glos last Friday with Guy Meredith: Coptotriche angusticollella (Rose Blotch-miner), Stigmella pyri (Pear-tree Dot), S. poterii (Burnet Dot) & Ectoedemia arcuatella (Strawberry Dot). All Nationally Scarce #teammoth
October 16, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Some nice leafmines from a brief search in Glos last Friday with Guy Meredith: Coptotriche angusticollella (Rose Blotch-miner), Stigmella pyri (Pear-tree Dot), S. poterii (Burnet Dot) & Ectoedemia arcuatella (Strawberry Dot). All Nationally Scarce #teammoth
This little moth (Plutella porrectella Streaked Diamond-back) in my garden last night was the big one!! My 1,000th moth species of the year in the UK! #teammoth
October 15, 2025 at 6:56 PM
This little moth (Plutella porrectella Streaked Diamond-back) in my garden last night was the big one!! My 1,000th moth species of the year in the UK! #teammoth
A couple of dark little moths from my garden in June have been confirmed as Grapholita funebrana (Plum Fruit Moth) & G. lobarzewskii (Small Fruit Moth). The latter was a new species for the garden. #teammoth
October 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
A couple of dark little moths from my garden in June have been confirmed as Grapholita funebrana (Plum Fruit Moth) & G. lobarzewskii (Small Fruit Moth). The latter was a new species for the garden. #teammoth
Amazing what some cloud cover can do - 5 NFY species in the garden trap last night after several weeks of not seeing anything new here: Barred Sallow, Green-brindled Crescent, Blair’s Shoulder-knot & Black Rustic, plus a Merveille du Jour that didn’t stay for the team photo. #teammoth
October 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Amazing what some cloud cover can do - 5 NFY species in the garden trap last night after several weeks of not seeing anything new here: Barred Sallow, Green-brindled Crescent, Blair’s Shoulder-knot & Black Rustic, plus a Merveille du Jour that didn’t stay for the team photo. #teammoth
Surprised and delighted to find my first ever larval case of Coleophora violacea (White-tipped Case-bearer) on elm yesterday in a Worcestershire hedgerow. The feeding damage is distinctive as it pierces both surfaces of the leaf. #teammoth
October 13, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Surprised and delighted to find my first ever larval case of Coleophora violacea (White-tipped Case-bearer) on elm yesterday in a Worcestershire hedgerow. The feeding damage is distinctive as it pierces both surfaces of the leaf. #teammoth
The books say that mines of Stigmella myrtillella (Bilberry Dot) are hard to find and I’d agree. Thankfully I eventually found my first one ever yesterday evening (in Leicestershire) after quite a lot of searching. Egg on underside near mid-rib as is typical for this species. #teammoth
October 12, 2025 at 7:58 AM
The books say that mines of Stigmella myrtillella (Bilberry Dot) are hard to find and I’d agree. Thankfully I eventually found my first one ever yesterday evening (in Leicestershire) after quite a lot of searching. Egg on underside near mid-rib as is typical for this species. #teammoth
Excellent day in Nottingham celebrating the 50th anniversary of the fabulous @ukbms.bsky.social
We’re kicking off the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme @ukbms.bsky.social 50th anniversary in style! 🦋
Firstly a video from our volunteers about why they take part. A huge thank you to all involved - we couldn’t do it without you!
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social
Firstly a video from our volunteers about why they take part. A huge thank you to all involved - we couldn’t do it without you!
@savebutterflies.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social
October 11, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Excellent day in Nottingham celebrating the 50th anniversary of the fabulous @ukbms.bsky.social
Coleophora kuehnella (Cloaked Case-bearer) from back in June at a local site. ID confirmed thanks to a gen. det. by Tony Davis. It’s a rarely recorded species in Devon and one I’d not seen before this year - now seen the adult and the larval case at different sites. #teammoth
October 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Coleophora kuehnella (Cloaked Case-bearer) from back in June at a local site. ID confirmed thanks to a gen. det. by Tony Davis. It’s a rarely recorded species in Devon and one I’d not seen before this year - now seen the adult and the larval case at different sites. #teammoth
Blair’s Mocha emergence is starting. This lovely individual was in the garden trap this morning, a different one from yesterday. #teammoth
October 7, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Blair’s Mocha emergence is starting. This lovely individual was in the garden trap this morning, a different one from yesterday. #teammoth
Amazed to see my first ever Dusky-lemon Sallow on a very cold evening in south Devon this week. A rare species in Devon with only a handful of records this century. #teammoth
October 4, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Amazed to see my first ever Dusky-lemon Sallow on a very cold evening in south Devon this week. A rare species in Devon with only a handful of records this century. #teammoth
Really looking forward to speaking in Wiltshire tomorrow about the impacts of climate change on UK butterflies & moths butterfly-conservation.org/events/wilts...
Wiltshire Members' Day - Chippenham
Wiltshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation invites everyone to join us at our Members’ Day on Saturday 4th October at Biddestone Village Hall near Chippenham. A friendly social event with some great ...
butterfly-conservation.org
October 3, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Really looking forward to speaking in Wiltshire tomorrow about the impacts of climate change on UK butterflies & moths butterfly-conservation.org/events/wilts...