My moth trap overfloweth this morning, especially with micros which I've kept some of to photograph (the ones that didn't escape) but I'm having enough trouble with macros truth to tell. One very interesting micro was a tiny (3mm) grey metallic, silver affair shaped like a supersonic fighter jet, if the Devil were to be in moth form then I was visited by ON himself. Also a large grey micro with white squares and marks, photo below.
Whilst I was sorting all this out a text came through, summer plumage Brunnich's Guillemot on Hoy. Unfortunately I had work appointments today, let's see if it is relocated, the observers are highly reliable so I've no doubts this is a good one.
Spectacle's spectacles
Spectacle
Udea ovialis (thanks Stewart)
Or this (about 7mm)
Plain Rustic I reckon
5 comments:
Hi Alastair the first moth is Udea olivalis...
Stewart,
Thanks. Interested to read about how you were setting your trap, white sheet / no white sheet. I do wonder if I'm doing it quite right. Experimenting with different places in the garden - the last spot was clearly excellent. Have replaced the rain cover on my Robinson with a Pyrex bowl as I reckoned that would obstruct the trap less and be better protection for the lamp but it will filter out UV to some extent and I wondered whether this might reduce my catch? Also have a problem with carpets, especially, escaping. I struggle to catch everything that's in the trap, especially carpets and micros. I do have my net handy but it all seems rather haphazard ....
Ghost Moths are so brilliant at the moment I counted about 435 displaying in the field in front of my house last week.The Udea is one of the Pyralid moths (Barry Goater,british pyralid moths another great book)sandwiched between Macros and micros.The lower moth is one of the 874 Blastobasis types maybe lacticolella
Andy,
Many thanks. Big catch again last night so more pix soon...
Was watching rather fewer than 435 Ghost Moths last night, although a couple of smaller, well marked individuals which could feasibly be the Shetland form ... not sure they've been recorded here though.
I had a look at the pug book yesterday ... tempting but the Pyralid book seems much more interesting, pugs are a bit of a ***. Saving grace is that relatively few have been recorded here, just the ones that are tricky to ID it seems.
Pyralids are a fantastic group especially the China marks..good trapping.
Post a Comment