251/366 Bs and Ts

07 Monday Sep 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, plants, wildflowers

Tags

Buff-tailed bumblebee, bumblebees, Burnet moth, Common carder bee, insects on teasels, Meadow Brown, Teasel

Bumblebees and Teasels – I’m not sure why but they seem to be a match made in heaven.

In fact, bumblebees are the insects I see most often nectaring on Teasels, though the Burnet moths also find Teasel to their taste, as did this Meadow brown butterfly yesterday.

183/366 It’s a Burnet’s life

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

5-spot Burnet, 6-spot Burnet, British moths, Burnet moth, Five-spot burnet, Six-spot burnet, Zygaena species

My new favourite field has a healthy population of Burnet moths, some of which are 6-spot Burnets (Zygaena filipendulae) and the others could either be 5-spot Burnets (Zygaena trifolii) or Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnets (Zygaena lonicerae) – it’s almost impossible to tell these latter two species apart. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to see almost every part of their life cycle – only the eggs have eluded me.

A 5-spot above, a 6-spot below

6-spot Burnets mating

Today I spotted this larva, looking very close to pupating, and, nearby, a very fresh-looking cocoon.

A freshly emerged 6-spot Burnet moth

A pristine 5-spot Burnet moth

Death is always sad to see but, in this case, the moth will support the life cycle of other creatures.

165/365 Coming soon …

14 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

#365DaysWild, British moths, Burnet moth, caterpillar to moth, Five-spot burnet, metamorphosis, Six-spot burnet, Zygaena filipendulae, Zygaena lonicerae

First, the caterpillar. Now I know this is a bit like the chicken and egg debate – which came first? – but my sequence is chronological for 2019. This is the caterpillar / larva of a Burnet moth, most likely a Six-spot Burnet (Zygaena filipendulae), as they’re the species I’ve seen at this site in previous years. I only found out this week that they over-winter as caterpillars, and they’re now enjoying a final munch before beginning their transformation.

Second, the pupa. Some of the munchers have already begun their metamorphosis into moths. This week I’ve spotted quite a number of the papery cocoons they spin to house their pupae while they go through this process.

190614 Burnet moth cocoon

Third, the moth. In previous years, the Six-spots have begun to appear around the beginning of July but the weather conditions can have an effect on their emergence. So, eyes peeled for the appearance of these gorgeous creatures in a meadow near you very soon!

190614 Six-spot Burnet moth

p.s. And if, by some chance, it’s actually a Five spot Burnet (Zygaena lonicerae), then it will look like this – you just have to count the dots!

190614 Five-spot Burnet moth