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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: British moths

Beautiful plume

07 Wednesday Dec 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, Beautiful plume, British moths, moth, plume moth

This tiny moth was a lovely surprise from last week’s wildflower searching. I only managed a couple of quick shots before it flew into the vegetation but they were good enough for my friendly local moth expert to identify this as a Beautiful plume (Amblyptilia acanthadactyla), which George also told me is ‘One of the few plumes that overwinters as an adult’. Beautiful, indeed!

221207 Beautiful plume

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Rush veneer

07 Friday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moths, migrant moth, moth, Nomophila noctuella, Rush veneer

The migrants just keep coming, and I love to see them because it always seems so amazing to me that a little moth like this, with a wingspan of just 26-32mm, can fly all the way to south Wales from somewhere in Europe.

221007 rush veneer

Meet the Rush veneer (Nomophila noctuella), which the UK Moths website says ‘can often be found in large numbers at coastal watch-points, and tends to occur in the adult stage between May and September’. At least six of these little migrants flew up from the path as I walked through a local field earlier this week.

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Leafmines: Phyllocnistis saligna

03 Monday Oct 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves, trees

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British moths, leaf-mining moth, leafmines on narrow-leaved willow, leafmining moth larvae, Phyllocnistis saligna, Phyllocnistis saligna leafmines, Willow bent-wing leafmines

A new month, a new leafmine challenge, and it’s got off to a very successful start for me. But let’s start at the beginning …
Our locally based Senior ecologist with Butterfly Conservation, George, kickstarted the challenge with a couple of tweets and some photos last Friday evening:

Ok #TeamLeafmine here’s another recent S. Wales colonist to look for; an easy one to identify too. Phyllocnistis saligna mines narrow-leaved willows, unusual because it mines both leaves & young stems. 3 recent records by the Taff in North Cardiff, must be out there elsewhere!

Cocoons are formed in a turned over leaf edge, see 3rd photo in original tweet. Quite a few Gwent records from the Levels and Monmouth/Abergavenny, also new to Carmarthenshire in 2021. Must be in & around Cardiff Bay! More info here: http://leafmines.co.uk/html/Lepidoptera/P.saligna.htm

221003 Phyllocnistis saligna (2)

I didn’t have any firm plans for Saturday’s walk so wended my merry way along the edges of the two local rivers, the Ely and the Taff. I soon realised that this challenge will be a little more difficult than previous ones, as narrow-leaved willows were few and far between and, when found, often inaccessible. However, I did manage to find mines in two locations along the River Taff, which has encouraged me to continue my search further up the river very soon. And, though I hope to find more mines, I doubt I’ll find one of the very lovely little adult Phyllocnistis saligna moths, the wonderfully named Willow bent-wings, which you can see on the UK Moths website.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

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Pearly underwing

13 Tuesday Sep 2022

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects

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British moths, migrant moth, Pearly underwing, Peridroma saucia

I start to put on my jacket before heading out on my daily walk when something flutters on the sleeve. It’s a moth, this moth, and I have no idea how it got there. Did it land on me during yesterday’s walk and spend the night on the jacket that I’d just flung over the back of a chair? Or did it creep in through the gap in a barely open window during the night?

220913 pearly underwing

A moth expert on Twitter tells me it’s a Pearly underwing (Peridroma saucia), a moth that doesn’t breed in Britain but migrates here from Europe, most often during September and October. No wonder it’s looking a little faded after such a long flight. I keep it inside during the day and release it after dark, hoping that will help it avoid any hungry birds.

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Pale tussock moth caterpillar

03 Saturday Sep 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moth caterpillars, British moths, Calliteara pudibunda, moth larva, Pale tussock moth caterpillar

Is this outrageous, or what? This is the larva of a Pale tussock (Calliteara pudibunda), a moth that is a beautiful creature in itself (you can see the adult on the Butterfly Conservation website) but nothing at all like its incredible caterpillar.

220903 pale tussock moth cat

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Shaded broad-bar

19 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moths, day-flying moths, moth, Scotopteryx chenopodiata, Shaded broad-bar

Apart from Five- and Six-spotted burnets and the various grass moths that flit up as I walk along pathways through meadows, I’ve not seen many day-flying moths recently so these Shaded broad-bars (Scotopteryx chenopodiata) were a nice surprise. They fly during July and August, and can be found throughout Britain, particularly in areas where vetches and clovers – their larval food plants – grow. As you can see, the colours of these moths can be quite variable (the Butterfly Conservation website has more examples).

220819 shaded broad-bar

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Scarlet tiger, deceased

06 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British moths, Callimorpha dominula, moth, Scarlet tiger, Scarlet tiger moth

Though I know death is inevitable for all living creatures, I’m always sad when I find something dead. On a practical level, of course, it’s often an opportunity to look more closely at that creature, which is what happened with this Scarlet tiger moth (Callimorpha dominula) I found on a pavement last week. That scarlet colour is just glorious!

220706 scarlet tiger

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Lightning and Brimstone

25 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Brimstone moth, British moths, Opisthograptis luteolata

Showcasing this Brimstone moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) I found on Thursday seems entirely appropriate today as I was caught out during this morning’s walk by a sudden thunderstorm. One of the lightning strikes was very close by, almost overhead, and there was a very strong smell of brimstone, the archaic name for sulphur.

220625 brimstone moth (2)

The moth was resting, perched upside down under a blade of grass. Amazingly, it stayed completely still as I got very close and twisted the grass to get better photos. Very obliging and very beautiful!

220625 brimstone moth (1)

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Moths are amazing

17 Friday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects

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Tags

British moths, moth

At the risk of stating the obvious, moths are amazing! And I’ve been lucky to find some gorgeous examples in recent weeks. As I’m running out of image storage space on this blog, the easiest way to share my photos is via a slideshow video. Here, then, is a short tribute to moths, a celebration of their incredible diversity of shapes and sizes, patterns and colours.

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Leafmines: Pistol case-bearer

06 Monday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, leaves

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British moths, Coleophora anatipennella, larval cases of moths, leaf-mining moths, moth larval cases, Pistol case-bearer

The UK Moth website explains the name of this rather bland-looking moth: ‘The “Pistol Case-bearers” are so named from the resemblance of their larval cases to an old flintlock pistol in shape.’ And I think you can see that likeness in my photos.

220606 Coleophora anatipennella (2)

I’d not seen anything like these before so turned to some Twitter experts for help with their identification. Fortunately, Rob Edmunds, of British Leafminers website fame, was able to confirm that these are indeed the larval cases of the Pistol case-bearer moth (Coleophora anatipennella). Their feeding makes tiny holes in the leaves, which you can see in the photos above and below, and these particular ‘pistols’ contain larvae that have over-wintered in their cases, which Rob thinks are now ‘in position pupating on the upper leaf surface’. Nature never ceases to amaze me!

220606 Coleophora anatipennella (1)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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