In the last couple of years the garden has accounted for over 90% of species that are new to me. The moth trap has been responsible for many of these and I'm finding new species of moths which are quite common almost every week but without the moth trap I would never knew they existed so close to home. I'm also looking more carefully for insect larvae and yesterday morning I found a lovely Grey Dagger (Acronicta psi) caterpillar on one of our cushions in the summerhouse. It appears to be spinning itself a cocoon.
The ladybird was in the moth trap yesterday morning. According to the UK Ladybird survey website it is an Orange Ladybird (Halyzia 16-guttata) which has between 12 and 16 cream spots. They were thought to be scarce and were an indicator of ancient woodland but since 1987 they have taken a liking to Sycamore and Ash and are now widespread. They are attracted to light and are often found in moth traps!
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