Pearly underwing

13 Tuesday Sep 2022

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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.

Pale tussock moth caterpillar

03 Saturday Sep 2022

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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

Shaded broad-bar

19 Friday Aug 2022

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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

Scarlet tiger, deceased

06 Wednesday Jul 2022

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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

Lightning and Brimstone

25 Saturday Jun 2022

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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)

Moths are amazing

17 Friday Jun 2022

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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.

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)

From larva to adult moth

04 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, trees

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British moths, moth larvae, Spindle ermine, Spindle ermine larvae, Spindle ermine moth, Spindle ermine webs, Spindle tree, Yponomeuta cagnagella

Back in June 2021, I blogged about the webs I was finding on Spindle trees in a local woodland, the silken creations of the larvae of the Spindle ermine moth (Yponomeuta cagnagella), and I’ve been seeing a multitude of these webs and larvae again in recent weeks. They don’t do a lot of damage to the larger Spindle trees but, as you can see below right, the larvae’s voracious appetites can strip the smaller saplings.

220604 spindle ermine 1 larvae

I’d heard that when the larvae are fully grown, they drop to the ground to pupate, often dangling in writhing groups from a silken thread. This was the first time I’d seen the larvae doing just that.

220604 spindle ermine 2 larvae

During my most recent visit to this woodland where Spindle trees – and the Spindle ermine larvae that munch on them – are most plentiful, I finally saw some of the adult moths**, and what beautiful little creatures they are. There were four, all sitting on thistles within a few feet of each other, so I assume they had recently emerged from pupation. And so the life cycle begins again.

220604 spindle ermine 3 adults

** A correction: Well, wouldn’t you know it? My Spindle ermine moths turned out to be Thistle ermine (Myelois circumvoluta). Serves me right for assuming they must be Spindle ermine just because of all the larvae in the area.

Small and hairy

09 Monday May 2022

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British moths, caterpillars in a web, Lackey, Lackey caterpillars, Lackey larvae, Malacosoma neustria, moth caterpillars, moth larvae

In Saturday’s post we had the small and scary (if you don’t like spiders – personally, I thought they were adorable); today we have the small and hairy, a web of Lackey moth caterpillars (Malacosoma neustria), which can often be found at this time of year, their web wrapped around the twigs of various broadleaved trees and shrubs.

220509 lackey (1)

The early instar (youngest) larvae don’t show the blue side stripe or ghoulish face, which make these larvae so distinctive as they grow.

220509 lackey (2)

Purple and gold

18 Monday Apr 2022

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British moths, Common purple & gold, moth, Pyrausta purpuralis

Apart from Colin, the Angle shades moth I reared from a caterpillar, this tiny beauty was my first moth of the year. This is Pyrausta purpuralis, also known as Common purple & gold, one of two quite similar Purple & gold species, though P. purpuralis can be identified by the extra yellow spot on its hindwings. I was surprised to read that the larval plants for these wee moths are Corn mint and Thyme, neither of which plant I recall having seen at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park though the moths are quite common there. I’ll need to investigate further.

220418 Pyrausta purpuralis