22 June 2022

17 June 2022 – White-pinion Spotted

White-pinion Spotted (Lomographa bimaculata)

How ethereal the White-pinion Spotted looks on a sunny morning.  It is such a bright white that its wings are almost transparent.  The only immediately recognizable visual features this little moth has are the two brownish dots on the costa.  In fact that’s how it came to be named; Loma- meaning a border; -graphe meaning a drawing; bi- meaning two; and macula, a spot, constitutes the etymology of the moth’s scientific name.  Breaking it down, there are two spots on each of the  leading edges of its forewings – perhaps like ink splotches on a drawing or piece of paper.  Because the coloration is so white, the texture of the wings is clear – it appears brittle, almost like thin linen.

We are lucky to see this species as it hasn’t been recorded at Shandy Hall before and it is not  common to North Yorkshire although it has increased its territory in recent years. Inside the moth trap it gave every indication of being ‘flighty’ so it was captured in a plastic tube to make it easier to photograph and subsequently to identify.

Mackenzie McKillip – UPenn intern