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Mavis Bickle

@mavisbickle.bsky.social
1.3K followers 581 following 2.1K posts

Gloucestershire Artist, illustrator of small wildlife with a ‘weakness for night butterflies’ and wildlife gardening enthusiast. (VC33) Other special interests: Forteana, Archaeology and er..Sheds

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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 3h
Aha! The mystery is (probably) solved. A huge Holm Oak hiding in plain sight on the opposite corner to where I usually walk, just under 500 metres away from home. The Spiny Hook-tip didn’t make the hole in the acorn though…😁 @sj84turner.bsky.social #teammoth
Acorn with an exit hole made by a something like an Acorn Piercer, Pammene fasciana
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 3h
😮‍💨 thanks 😅
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 5h
A surprising 29 of 11 species considering the pants weather but my Merv fomo was strong… still no Merv 😓 but 8 Black Rustics is a record, Angle Shades was nice to see and the twins - Agrochola lota and macilenta, were NFY #teammoth
A Black Rustic with minimal markingAngle ShadesYellow-line QuakerRed-line Quaker
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Well. Good grief 😅
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Lucky? To be fair though, I have a tiny garden and a small trap so I trap quite often
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
NFY Green-brindled Crescent and The not-so-common here this year, Common Marbled Carpet #teammoth
Green-brindled Crescent Common Marbled Carpet
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I’m also Mervless. My earliest was mid October..
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
static.klipy.com
You're Joking, Not Another One!
ALT: You're Joking, Not Another One!
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Gotta be the bestest Ni I ever saw 👍🏼
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Some NFYs were a pair of Blair’s and a couple of Beadies 40:23 4/5 Oct was a great trapping night! #teammoth
2 Blair’s Shoulder-knots on a stone2 Beaded Chestnuts on a cherry branch
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
New for the garden (+square) and Clancy’s Rustic has finally made an appearance here, distributing well this year…by the looks of it #teammoth VC33 5/10/26
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Ooh, one of the subjects of my next painting project 👍🏼
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It’s doing so well this year that even I got one last night 🤯
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Can’t believe you haven’t had the pleasure 😮
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The annual lonely Palpita vitrealis And a White-point were the most interesting moths to the lamp (for me) lately… Black Rustic, Barred Sallow, Least Carpet and L-album also visited 3 / 4 Oct #teammoth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
😳
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Hopefully you’ll be referring to the moth 😅
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Hang on in there everyone, it’s Friday, so it’d be rude not to 🙃 #MothFaceFriday
I’m upside down and I’m a Yellow-tail moth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Oh dear, yes, I tried that ..once
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks Dave, this is the first year I’ve tried trapping in rainy conditions but I hate processing the trap if it’s persisting it down in the morning, so if it’s forecasted I tend not to. The other thing I’m really not enthusiastic about is the crunch of 🐌 🐌 when I stand on them in the dark 😣
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🩷
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I see…😉 okay
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Make sure you’ve got your teefs in 😉
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
31:14 on another rainy night. I don’t usually trap in wet weather but I used an extra Perspex cover. The trap was dry this morning but there weren’t a lot in it! A nicely coloured Turnip and Black Rustics, Barred Sallows and Large Ranunculusses again #teammoth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Another one…I really want to know where, exactly they’re coming from 🤔 Smaller this time, FW 14mm #HauntedbySpinyNorman #teammoth
Watsonalla (uncinula) in an autumnal setting
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Beautiful photo David 👍🏼
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This cheeky chappy appeared on a very rainy one last night but although common, has only appeared twice in my garden, the last time July 19th ‘25. (Usual FS is July/August) Anyway. He flew off and landed on a snail and went for a white-knuckle ride 😆 NFY male Yellow-tail 💛🤍 #teammoth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Glad you enjoyed it Ade 😅
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It certainly is. And I’m really not keen to send all the Watsonallas off for the chop, I’d much rather set them free tbh and call it Oak/Spiny agg than do that, but with some it’s obvious. The three dashes/ yellow veins and a white flash seem to be the most diagnostic feature so far without 🔪
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Both the darker ones’ FWs were 16/17mm I guess they were probably females yes, Although no Holm Oak that I know of here, as I said to Steve earlier, I read that they may well eat other oaks and even birch at a push!
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Obs was not very helpful in my 3 cases. The first two it said mostly Oak but most humans thought Spiny. The latest one, I thought was more likely oak but Obs said Spiny… 😅 I’ll run them past the CMR in a while.. I may get more! What I can say though, is that last year’s was confirmed- Spiny.
Sept 2025 Spiny Hook tip detail2025’s Spiny Hook-tip
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How good of you to join me 🤗
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good luck with not having one of those! 🤔
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
You must be very proud. Congratulations 🥳
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I couldn’t quite believe it myself, never had one this early before 😳
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I had 46 the night before, so it was a shock, yes indeed
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Some of the results of the last two traps in my garden. #teammoth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
😆
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I still have my Rotring Isograph 1.3. It has two statuses : blocked or leaking 😅
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Oh yes. From the days when Cut & Paste involved paper, scissors and cow gum!
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🤞🏼
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
That’d be hilarious But well done, you must be very pleased 😀
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Superb shot, & your patience has paid off!
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’ll see if there are any more 🕵️‍♂️🦵👈🏼 to come - these ones are early doors 😉
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thanks John, yes I understand the purplish tinge is variable in both species but the feature you mentioned is consistent with Spiny along with the white scales on outside edges of hook. My latest one though.. not clear. I didn’t retain it so not sure if it will be accepted!
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Unless of course, this one👆🏻 is an Oak Hahaha
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
😆
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This tiny moth and its strange little dance makes me smile 😊 #teammoth
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Mavis Bickle @mavisbickle.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Accepted by the photo if it’s fresh. After my first one was a chop job and positive for Spiny, it’s fairly easy to spot now but the other thing is the location…I’ve never had a binaria!
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