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Tag Archives: Brown-tail moth webs

249/366 Small creatures after rain

05 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by sconzani in autumn, insects

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Tags

beetles, British insects, Brown-tail moth caterpillars, Brown-tail moth webs, Buff-tailed bumblebee, Emperor dragonfly, Knopper gall

Actually, it rained before my walk, during my walk and after I got home, but ‘Small creatures between showers’ was a bit long for a title. Here, then, are the said creatures …

200905 beetles

First up, these beetles were cosying up in an umbellifer flower head. I couldn’t see enough to identify them and wasn’t going to disturb their comfort to find out more.

200905 brown tails

This is a web of Brown-tail moth larvae, the ones some people freak out about because their hairs can irritate the skin. The solution to that problem is, of course, easy: look, enjoy, wonder, admire, but don’t touch!

200905 buff-tail queen

There weren’t many flying critters about but bumblebees will fly whatever the weather, as shown by this gorgeous queen Buff-tailed bumble.

200905 knopper gall

Perhaps the littlest creature, though I didn’t look in to investigate, was the one that was lurking in this Knopper gall (spot the antennae!).

200905 emperor

And, the prize for the most magnificent, was this male Emperor dragonfly. I had to linger a while, waiting for him to settle, and then sneak up behind the bushes, but His Imperial Majesty was definitely worth the wait. What a handsome creature he is, despite his somewhat ragged wings.

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Moth trapping at the Obs

22 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

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).

171022 Black rustic
171022 Feathered Brindle
171022 Green-brindled crescent
171022 Lunar underwing

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).

171022 Brown-tail moth web (1)
171022 Brown-tail moth web (2)

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).

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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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