30th August 2015 - location out in the open near the house
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| Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa). |
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| Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa). |
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| Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa). |
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| Brimstone (Opisthograptis luteolata). |
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| Six-striped Rustic (Xestia sexstrigata). |
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| The Vestal (Rhodometra sacraria). This is a migrant species to the UK. |
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| Orange Swift (Triodia sylvina). |
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| Heart and Dart (Agrotis exclamationis). |
7th September 2015 - location amongst trees not far from my pond
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| Dewick's Plusia (Macdunnoughia confusa). This one is a vagrant to Britain. |
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| Cloaked Carpet (Euphyia biangulata). |
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| Four-spotted Footman, male (Lithosia quadra). It's the female which has the spots. |
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| Light Emerald (Campaea margaritaria). |
11th September 2015 - location under old apple tree near some flower beds
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| I think this is a September Thorn (Ennomos erosaria). |
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| Maiden's Blush (Cyclophora punctaria). |
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| Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria). |
There's another funny story attached to this photo regarding critters crawling around inside my clothes. At first I thought this was a moth with long antennae but then remembered some people mentioning getting Caddis flies in their traps. Well after putting the moths and Caddis flies out once dusk fell, I came inside and slumped on the sofa with the cats. I felt something tickling my thigh so had a bit of a feel and a scratch through my pocket. Nope, couldn't feel anything so it must have been my imagination..... next thing there was something definitely tickling me in the groin area! Freaking slightly I unzipped my trousers and out hopped a Caddis fly! I guess it climbed up my trouser leg after I'd released it, daft thing. More sighs of relief that it was not a bitey, stingey critter!
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| A Caddis Fly, species unknown. |
This next lot are four different moths, but are they all the same species? I am Uncertain (hoho) as to whether they are The Uncertain moth, Vine's Rustic or Rustic. They all look identical to me apart from slight colour variations. I found this article which helps to tell the difference between the three but I feel a bit brain dead when it comes to trying to tell almost similar species apart, so I'll just put a link here for when I feel like coming back to it to try again.
I have some more 'I don't have a clues' which I'll post later on when I'm sure I'll have a few more to add to the list. Or who knows, I may manage to ID them. You never know! :-)
Just lovely......
ReplyDeleteThanks Debrazzawoman :-)
DeleteA lovely selection Mandy, and a welcome respite from the Nitrogen Cycle which I am revisiting for a project. My head hurts! Great photos as always. I'm leaning towards Vine's Rustic but could be wrong :o) x
ReplyDeleteMy head would hurt and I don't even know what it's about! Thanks CT, and I'll look into the differences again between these moths - one of these days! :-) xx
DeleteA great variety of moths Mandy - so pleased you got to see Angle Shades :) I love the Vestal - they never seem to make it as far North as here!! I would agree with Vine's Rustic but not an expert!! At times id can be very very difficult.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I went to a moth night last night with my trap and the expert moth-er there who has 20 years experience showed me a moth which I am sure he said was Merveille du Jour. When I got home and looked at my cropped photos I honestly think the id is wrong and its a Brindled Green. So much for getting excited and thinking I had finally seen MdeJ!! But it just goes to show that even experts make mistakes - you are constantly learning with mothing!
Thank you RR - I shall have to look at Vine's Rustic some more, though I don't intend to get a headache over it! What a shame that you didn't get to see the MdJ after getting excited about it. The mothing night sounds interesting though and I hope you are going to write about it. I would have thought some moths need close up photos to really ID properly rather than with the naked eye, no matter how good your eyesight. And at night it must be even harder! :-)
DeleteAnother fine set of moths Mandy. You seem to have a good variety of species, even at this later stage of the season. Smashing photos too by the way ;-)
ReplyDeleteCheers JJ! I'm only posting photos of moths I haven't already shown, so it's helping me with IDing plus I don't want to keep repeating myself, so there are more with each session than I'm showing in pics. There do seem to still be lots around but Sept doesn't seem to be too late in the mothing calendar having looked at the Hants Moths 'Flying Tonight' list! The last two times I had a lot of harvestmen as well! I didn't bring them inside to take photos of though.
DeleteI think the trap will be going out again tonight as it looks like a dry night - not used to wet Septembers here! :-)
So many moths Mandy, lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteI keep finding moths in the house but they all look the same, probably Lydford Gorge moths I suppose.
Thank goodness I'd bookmarked your blog as GOG's seems to have gone. Very sad news for me but everyone else lost interest except a few of us.
Philippa xx
Hi Philippa - sorry about the delay replying - I don't always look at my blog or check emails. Many moths are just drab looking until you look at them close up, and some are rather drab anyway! Thankfully it's the pretty ones which make it worthwhile and it's become quite an interesting hobby which doesn't take up a lot of my energy, which I haven't got much of.
DeleteI saw from facebook that a new forum had opened so I'm pleased about that. It looks less cluttered too. :-) xx
Hi Mandy
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased that your hobby is so good for you.
Yes, a new forum has opened and I have my own section, that is embarrassing really!
Just thinking that if you are planning a trip to the UK next Spring bear in mind the fact that you could get a ferry from St Malo to Plymouth and come and stay with us for a day or two before travelling up Country.
Yes I saw your personal area and BE's as well. Cheeky! I will join up soon but I've got to find my moorhen avatar, wherever that may be. We are planning to visit England around May and that is very sweet of you. I'm not sure if we will take you up on that as time is limited and we have Mums who want to see us (haven't seen my Mum for 2 years now) but we will definitely come and see you - a good excuse for an escape..... :-) xx
DeleteOnly just seen this as we've been away in Dorset so just catching up with your blog.
DeleteWould be great if you could pop down during your stay or maybe we could meet up somewhere half way between us if you are at your Mum's. Feel free to use our BF code by the way, you know that anyway. xx.
Thanks Philippa re the code, and yes we will use it! I'd love to see your house but there is somewhere we've always wanted to visit in Devon, but are nearly always there at the wrong time of year - it's Rosemoor RHS gardens. I don't know exactly where it is and no idea if that sort of thing would interest you? May would be a lovely time to visit. Anyway plenty of time to think about it all and we can email each other to discuss nearer the time. Hope you had a lovely time in Dorset. xx
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