114/366 Little and large

23 Thursday Apr 2020

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Adela reaumurella, British butterflies, British moths, butterfly, Green long-horn, Large white, Long-horn moth, moth, Pieris brassicae

During yesterday’s exercise meander around Penarth, I found two lovely Lepidoptera in one of the few local parks that’s still open.

200423 green long-horn moth

The first was this amazing day-flying moth, the Green long-horn (Adela reaumurella). It may have a wingspan of only 14-18mm, but just look at those antennae (hence, the name ‘long-horn’). This is a male; the females have shorter antennae, which are half black, half white.

Then, to my delight, soon after seeing that stunning little moth, I spotted my first Large white butterfly (Pieris brassicae) for 2020. And, compared to the moth, it really is large, with a wingspan between 63 and 70mm. This is also a male; the females have two grey-black spots on their upper wings.

158/365 Latticed heath

07 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

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British moths, Chiasmia clathrata, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, day-flying moth, Grangemoor Park, Hamadryad Park, Latticed heath, Lavernock Nature Reserve, moth, moths

This is one of my favourite moths, a Latticed heath (Chiasmia clathrata, from the Greek chiasma, meaning formed like a cross, and clathrum, meaning lattice or grate, a reference to the lovely interlaced and criss-crossing patterns on its wings).

190607 lattice heath (1)

As well as flying in the night time, the Latticed heath also flies by day, which is how I’m able to see them, though they’re very good at hiding in amongst the long grass and wildflowers. I saw my first for 2019 on 23 May at Cosmeston, and I’ve since seen them at most of my regular haunts, Grangemoor and Hamadryad Parks in Cardiff, and Lavernock Nature Reserve.

It’s a smallish moth, with a wingspan between 20 and 25mm, and can be found around clovers and trefoils and lucerne, which are the plants its caterpillars feed on. The first adults can be seen in May and June, and then there’s a second generation that flies in August and September.

190607 lattice heath (4)

148/365 The one that got away

28 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

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#365DaysWild, Bird’s-foot trefoil, British moths, Burnet companion, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, moth, moths

I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the amazing Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth that I had actually been trying to re-find a Burnet Companion moth when I spotted the Hawk-moth. Well, today I got the one that got away yesterday – not the actual moth, as today I was at Cosmeston not Lavernock, and not just one but three Burnet Companions appeared for my camera today.

190528 burnet companion (1)

I felt a bit sad for the first one I saw (below left). Either it hadn’t developed properly in its pupa or something had happened to it since hatching, as its wings appeared damaged and it didn’t seem able to fly.

But the other two were flitting merrily from flower to flower, drinking in as much Bird’s-foot trefoil nectar as their tiny tongues could manage. And not only do they have lovely markings on the top side of their wings but they’re a wonderful buttery yellow underneath as well (above right).

190528 burnet companion (4)

147/365 Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth

27 Monday May 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature

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#365DaysWild, British moths, Hemaris tityus, Lavernock Nature Reserve, moth, moths, Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, rare moth

I had a heart-stopping few moments at Lavernock Nature Reserve this afternoon. I’d just taken a rubbish photo of my first Burnet Companion moth of the year but it had flitted off and I was trying to re-find it when I spotted this beauty … and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth (Hemaris tityus) and it’s something of a rarity here in south Wales.

190527 narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (1)

According to Aderyn, Wales’s Biodiversity and Information Reporting Database, this species has not been recorded anywhere near my area for more than 50 years, yet they seem to be having a good year in 2019: George, from our local Butterfly Conservation branch, tells me this special moth has been seen in three new sites in south Wales so far this year. Long may this trend continue!

190527 narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (2)

Two in two days

04 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Aplocera plagiata, British moth, moth, moths, Treble-bar

I’d only ever seen this beautifully patterned moth once before so it was a treat last week to see two of them on two consecutive days. Despite having a guide book, I always find moths difficult to identify but this one, the Treble-bar (Aplocera plagiata), lives up to its name rather nicely. Having said that, there is a chance these could be Lesser Treble-bars but they are much less common so I’m assuming they’re not (and I wasn’t able to check the ends of their abdomens to be sure!).

180904 treble bar (1)

These are probably second generation moths, the first having emerged, mated, laid, munched, pupated during May and June, and the second now going through that process during August and September.

180904 treble bar (2)

Common purple & gold

20 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Common purple & gold, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, moth, moths, Pyrausta purpuralis, UK moths

Every step I take across the west paddock at Cosmeston seems to send at least two tiny beige-looking insects flicking off in different directions in front of me. At first, I think they might be grasshoppers or crickets, springing quickly out of the way of my trampling feet but no – these creatures are not making straight leaps, they are fluttering and flying. They’re not easy to follow – as soon as they touch the ground they seem to disappear so I have to focus intently to follow each flight and then approach very slowly to discover what they are.

180820 Pyrausta purpuralis (1)

It turns out they’re not beige at all – they’re a quite striking combination of maroon and yellow, hence their common name, Common purple & gold. This is Pyrausta purpuralis, not to be confused with Pyrausta aurata, a very similar moth of the same family (see more here).

180820 Pyrausta purpuralis (2)

With a wingspan of just 20mm, this moth really is tiny but it’s relatively common throughout Britain, particularly on chalky downs and dry grasslands. The moths I’m seeing now in such abundance are the second brood of the year and fly, both during the day and at night, from July to August. I saw their parents during May and June, though they didn’t seem as plentiful. Perhaps this is a moth species that has enjoyed our hot dry weather this summer.

180820 Pyrausta purpuralis (3)

A Common footman

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British moths, Common footman, Eilema lurideola, moth, moths

Moths have some wonderful names. I mean, you’ve got to wonder why one little group is named after a domestic servant. As well as this one, the Common footman, there are also Buff, Orange, Scarce, Dingy, Northern, Pigmy, and Hoary footmen, all members of the Eilema group of moths.

180703 common footman (1)

I spotted this little chap, Eilema lurideola, floundering around in the grass at Cosmeston recently. It might well be an elegant flier but it was having a great deal of trouble climbing up stalks of grass.

Humming-bird hawk-moth

25 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, seaside, wildflowers

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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)

Not one but three!

14 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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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.

A Jersey tiger!

12 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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

Ooo look, a Red admiral … hang on a minute … what’s that???!!!

I went looking for migrant birds at high tide at Sully beach – and found nothing more exotic than some Rock pipits and Turnstones – but my walk home, along the coastal path, took me through Lavernock Nature Reserve and there I got lucky. There I found an altogether different migrant, a beautiful Jersey tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria).

170812 Jersey tiger (3)

Obviously, it’s not a mammal that’s swum across the Channel from Jersey: it’s a moth. It may also not have been an immigrant, as colonies have become established in a couple of places along the southern English coast in recent years. It is still, however, not so common in Wales, with only 24 records in the national database.

As you can see, it has gorgeous and quite distinctive markings – just look at that bright orange underwing! – so there was no mistaking what it was. Let’s hope a few other Jersey tigers arrive to establish a colony in Lavernock’s wonderful wildflower meadows.

170812 Jersey tiger (2)