Moth trapping at the Obs

22 Sunday Oct 2017

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Black rustic, British moths, Brown-tail moth webs, Feathered Brindle, Fox moth caterpillar, Green-brindled Crescent, Lunar Underwing, moth larvae, moths, Portland moths

These are just a few moths from last weekend at Portland Bird Observatory in Dorset. They trap every night at the Obs and, because of their southern-coast location, just as with the birds they also get many migrant moths. However, I was too busy birding to take many moth photos and I’m fairly sure these are all common Brits. They’re not species I would necessarily see in Wales though and they are pretty, especially that third one (bottom left).

These are: Black rustic (Aporophyla nigra), Feathered Brindle (Aporophyla australis), Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae), and Lunar Underwing (Omphaloscelis lunosa).

171022 Fox moth caterpillar

While out walking the cliff-top paths on Saturday afternoon, one of our team also found this little fella pottering along on the grass beside the track. It’s a Fox moth larva (Macrothylacia rubi).

We also spotted a ton of these webs in the brambles near the main lighthouse. They house the larvae of Brown-tail moths (Euproctis chrysorrhoea).

Humming-bird hawk-moth

25 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, seaside, wildflowers

≈ 8 Comments

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British moths, Humming-bird hawk-moth, Macroglossum stellatarum, moth, moth like hummingbird, Red valerian

Remember how I wrote yesterday about some days being magical: first I was mobbed by Red admirals, next I discovered the Ivy bee colony and marvelled at its mating antics, and then, la pièce de résistance, I saw my very first Humming-bird hawk-moth.

170925 Humming-bird Hawk-moth (4)

And, by golly, it was difficult to photograph. I took around 70 pictures but most are a blur because, like the bird it’s named after, this moth just does not keep still. Macroglossum stellatarum is its formal name, and it came to Britain originally from Africa and southern Europe. The adult moths can be seen flying any time from April to late November, at which time they start looking for a crevice in a building, a hole in a wall, or a handy crack in a tree to while away the winter months.

That super-long tongue allows them to specialise in feeding from tube-shaped flowers like the Echiums, though this one was enjoying the nectar of Red valerian plants growing along the high-tide line at a local beach, humming (its wings) as it hovered from one flower to the next. Incredibly, studies have shown that Humming-bird hawk-moths often return to the same flowers at the same time every day. So, it’s a moth that looks like a bird but has the memory of an elephant – simply amazing!

170925 Humming-bird Hawk-moth (3)

A selection of Grass-veneers

29 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Agriphila straminella, Agriphila tristella, British moths, Chrysoteuchia culmella, Crambus lathoniellus, Crambus pascuella, Grass moths, Grass-veneer, micro moth

If you have a tendency, as I do, to wander through grassy meadows, you may have noticed small pale-looking flying creatures that are disturbed by your passing. They flit up and disappear again so quickly – their wings gathered tightly to their sides and often perched head-down on a grass stem – that they can be very hard to spot, and you may not, as I initially didn’t, realise that they’re moths. There are 39 species of Crambinae (the Grass moth family) in Britain – so far I’ve only managed to photograph these five.

170829 Agriphila straminella Straw Grass-veneer

170829 Agriphila tristella Common grass-veneer

Agriphila straminella Straw Grass-veneer (left) and Agriphila tristella Common grass-veneer (right)

Chrysoteuchia culmella Garden Grass-veneer

Crambus lathoniellus Hook-streak Grass-veneer

Crambus pascuella Inlaid grass-veneer

I am extremely grateful to my friends from the South Wales Butterfly Conservation Group on Facebook for their help in identifying these moths.

Not one but three!

14 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

British moths, Euplagia quadripunctaria, Jersey tiger, Lavernock Nature Reserve, moth, moths, UK moths

So, my question today is how many moths does it take to make a colony?

170814 Jersey tiger 100817 170814 Jersey tiger 130817 (1) 170814 Jersey tiger 130817 (2)

I passed through Lavernock Nature Reserve again yesterday and found two more Jersey tigers (Euplagia quadripunctaria). I can tell neither of these is the same as the one I saw three days earlier because the spots on their wings are all different (see inside bottom edge of right wing in these photos of all three, as shown below). I’m hoping this means there is now a colony of Jersey tigers becoming established in the reserve, rather than immigrants all arriving at the same time.

Fluttering at Lavernock

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 10 Comments

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Brimstone butterfly, British butterflies, British moths, butterflies, Common blue, Large white, Lavernock Nature Reserve, moths, Painted Lady, Peacock, Red Admiral, Silver Y moth, Small copper

Now, I know I’ve been posting quite a few butterfly photos lately but I just adore them and, as summer will soon be over and they’ll disappear for another year, I can’t help but share their beauty while I can. So, as well as that gorgeous Jersey tiger I showed you yesterday, here are just a few of the 16 species of Lepidoptera from Lavernock Nature Reserve on Thursday: there were 4 Brimstone butterflies; large numbers of Common blues; this pair of Large whites mating; 5 Painted ladies; 2 stunning Peacocks; 4 Red admirals; 2 Silver Y moths that just wouldn’t keep still for a sharp photo; and only my second-ever Small copper that got scared off when someone came walking down the path towards me.

The Brimstone flyers

26 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 6 Comments

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Brimstone, Brimstone butterfly, Brimstone moth, British butterflies, British moths, Gonepteryx rhamni, Opisthograptis luteolata

Recording the biodiversity around us can sometimes be a tricky business. Take, for example, the Magpie: there’s a bird called Magpie (Pica pica) and a moth (Abraxas grossulariata) and even a fungus (Coprinopsis picacea). The same is true of the Grayling: there are both a butterfly (Hipparchia semele) and a fish (Thymallus thymallus) of that name. Then there are the Brimstones: in this case, it’s even more confusing as both are lepidoptera – one’s a butterfly (Gonepteryx rhamni) and one’s a moth (Opisthograptis luteolata). And by sheer coincidence, I saw both Brimstones yesterday.

170726 Brimstone butterfly

I spotted the butterfly drinking from a Buddleja bush while I was out walking and the moth came to visit me here at home. I had left my windows open until around 10pm and this little moth came into my kitchen. I tried putting it out but it flew straight back in again and is still sitting on my kitchen bench, despite the window again being open. Not that I’m complaining, as it’s a beautiful little creature.

170726 Brimstone moth

Spots before my eyes

22 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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6-spot Burnet, British moths, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, moth, moths, Six-spot burnet, UK moths, Zygaena filipendulae

170722 6-spot Burnet moth (1)

I have never before seen as many 6-spot Burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae) as I saw last Monday in one of the fields at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park. I stopped counting at one hundred and there were many many more. They are gorgeous little flying machines and glowed like wee red bumblebees as they flitted from the sunshine-yellow ragwort flowers to the more subtle but no less glorious lilac and purple blooms of knapweed, meadow thistle and teasel. They were wondrous to behold.

Moths at Parc Slip

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Common carpet moth, Crambus pascuella, Large Yellow Underwing, moths, Parc Slip Nature Reserve, Phtheochroa inopiana, Silver Y, White Ermine, White ermine caterpillar

As well as the reptiles we saw on our ramble around Parc Slip Nature Reserve and in spite of the constant light rain, we also saw quite a few moths, the odd butterfly, a few damselflies, and an abundance of pretty wildflowers. Here are the moths I managed to photograph (some poorly!): Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata), Inlaid grass-veneer (Crambus pascuella), Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba), Phtheochroa inopiana, Silver Y (Autographa gamma), and the larva of the White ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda).

170704 Inlaid grass-veneer Crambus pascuella

170704 Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba

170704 White ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda

Moths of Kenfig

11 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 5 Comments

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Beautiful china-mark, British moths, Burnet, Cinnabar, Grass rivulet, Kenfig National Nature Reserve, Lackey, moth, moths, Oak eggar, Small china-mark, Straw dot, Yellow-tail

As the butterflies are still enjoying their summer holidays, I have some moths and soon-to-be moths for you. These were all seen at Wales’s stunning coastal national nature reserve at Kenfig last weekend.

We have, from left:
Beautiful china-mark (Nymphula nitidulata): It was no surprise to find this near Kenfig pool as its larvae are aquatic.
Burnet: (Zygaena sp.): Not sure which of the Burnet moths this will become as the only difference in the caterpillars is the length of their hairs and I didn’t measure these.
Cinnabar (Tyria jacobaeae): The ‘Jacobaeae’ epithet comes from its larval foodplant, Senecio jacobaea, aka Common ragwort.

Grass rivulet (Perizoma albulata): As well as loving grasslands, these little beauties also love a nice sandy beach.
Lackey (Malacosoma neustria): We’ve had these before if you remember (Lackey me).
Oak eggar (Lasiocampa quercus): Don’t go searching around oak trees for this one: its name comes from the acorn-like shape of its cocoon.

Small china-mark (Cataclysta lemnata): Apparently, they don’t often open their wings to show the underwing markings. I got lucky!
Straw dot (Rivula sericealis): Straw coloured with a dot on each wing. I think I might actually remember this one.
Yellow-tail (Euproctis similis): I have yet to see the moth but it seems the female has a yellow tuft of hairs on her bottom.

A rarely recorded moth

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

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Artemisia vulgaris, biodiversity in Wales, British moths, Coleophora artemisicolella, mugwort, Mugwort Case-bearer moth, UK moths, Welsh biodiversity

A few weeks ago, when I walked his butterfly transect with my colleague Dave Slade of SEWBReC, the South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre, Dave stopped to inspect the seed heads of each mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) plant we passed. Of course, I had to ask why and he explained that he was looking for signs of the rarely recorded Mugwort Case-bearer moth, Coleophora artemisicolella. As the UK Moths website explains, ‘The larva forms a case very closely resembling a seedhead, and moves from seed to seed leaving diagnostic small holes in the side of each one.’ Though it flies during the months of July and August, the moth itself is seldom seen (I certainly haven’t spotted it) and has previously been considered quite rare. It may be, however, that it is actually just rarely recorded as who but moth fanciers would know to look for it!

I am not one to turn down a challenge and, after thoroughly checking every mugwort plant I found (not that many, to be honest) for the following three and a half weeks, I finally hit the jackpot at one of my local biodiversity hotspots, the Howardian Local Nature Reserve! These photos may not look exciting to you, but this is only the fifth recorded sighting of the Mugwort Case-bearer moth’s seed-head holes in the whole of Wales!