18 July 2013

17 July 2013 – Dusty Old Fellow.

I’ve been out traveling for the past few days to Whitby and Edinburgh, both absolutely wonderful cities. Now I’m back at Shandy Hall and logging the moths. It’s been four days since the last trapping so we may encounter some new moths if we’re lucky.

Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens)

Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens)

In addition to new moths we also haven’t talked about an old one. This Rustic Shoulder-knot (Apamea sordens) was caught almost a month ago, though we are still getting a few here and there in the trap. Its distinctive marker is the dark ‘shoulder-knot’ at the top of the wing. The caterpillars of the Rustic Shoulder-knot feed on grasses throughout the winter before pupating and turning into moths. Again, Apamea is a town in Asia Minor with no relevance to the moths of the genus. Sordens ‘dirty’ I think may come from the dusty tan background color of the Rustic Shoulder-knot. I do not believe the name has any relevance to the moth’s actual cleanliness.

– Post by Jane Wu