He’s arrived!

26 Saturday Mar 2022

Tags

Angle shades moth, British moths, moth, Phlogophora meticulosa

I am delighted to announce that, 32 days after he pupated, Colin the Angle shades moth has hatched (I keep calling him Colin for convenience but he could in fact be a she, a Colleen).

220326 colin moth (2)

Isn’t he gorgeous? Beautifully mottled in shades of brown, beige, peach and green, for camouflage. I offered him the outside this morning, put him on the window ledge, but there’s a cool wind blowing and he made no move. So, he’s back in his jar until the air warms up and he has the strength to make his way in the world.

220326 colin moth (1)

Winter caterpillars

15 Saturday Jan 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, winter

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Angle shades caterpillar, Angle shades larvae, moth caterpillars, moth larvae, moth larvae in winter, Phlogophora meticulosa

These were a surprise on a chilly and very foggy early morning walk earlier this week.

I suppose I should have realised that some caterpillars overwinter as larvae but I was still amazed to find all but one of these four sitting in plain sight, fully exposed to the weather, covered in dew drops. I’m reliably informed these are the larvae of the Angle shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa).

61/365 From food to frass

02 Saturday Mar 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, insects, nature, plants, wildflowers

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#365DaysWild, Alexanders, Angle shades caterpillar, Angle shades larvae, Angle shades moth, British moths, British wildflowers, Phlogophora meticulosa

First I noticed the frass (that’s pooh, to most of us). Then I thought ‘Something fairly big must be in these Alexanders’ flower heads somewhere’. And, sure enough, with a little gentle pulling aside of leaves and flowers, I found the frass creator, very well camouflaged by its light green colouring. And then I thought, ‘There might be more’. And, sure enough, I found three caterpillars on three different plants, and frass on several more plants. These are the larvae of the Angle Shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa). I thought it seemed rather early for them but my local Butterfly Conservation expert George tells me you can find them pretty much any time of year.

Check out these shades

25 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Angle shades, British moth, moth, Phlogophora meticulosa

170425 Phlogophora meticulosa Angle shades moth (1)

Isn’t this a beauty? I don’t manage to see many moths (and, as I live in a first-floor flat, I can’t use a moth trap) so I was delighted to see my first Angle shades moth (Phlogophora meticulosa), sunbathing on south-facing stone wall the other day. Its common name is a reference both to the sharp angle of the darker patterns on its wings and to the numerous shades of colour in those patterns. The UK Moths website likens it to a withered autumn leaf, not a very flattering comparison for such a lovely creature.

170425 Phlogophora meticulosa Angle shades moth (2)

Angle shades moths are usually seen flying from May through to October so this one, like so many insects this year, is out and about a little early. They can be found throughout Europe and in parts of the Middle East and are, apparently, strongly migratory, as a result of which they are sometimes seen in large numbers in southern coastal areas of Britain. Wouldn’t that be a sight to see!