19 July 2012

19 July 2012 – Rare Species

Evergestis extimalis

Today Patrick and I discovered our prize of the summer with a rare species, the Evergestis extimalis. It is usually found in scarce numbers in southeast England. The closest recordings to us have been a few sightings in Teesside and near Spurn Head. This record is believed to be the only one inland. Coincidentally, Dr. Chesmore made a visit to Shandy Hall today so he was able to verify the specimen in person and he will now send the record into the central database. Evergestis means ‘well-wrought garment’; extimalis simply refers to the outermost portion of the wing because it is much darker in comparison to the rest of the moth. Welcome to the list.

A funny discovery we also made today were four Bee Moths in Sterne’s old ‘earth-closet’. I’ve been told that last summer we had a bees’ nest in the floor under the toilet that began to cause problems, so I guess it was only a matter of time before the Bee Moths found the honey residue. Still, it’s amazing to see how insects can detect their food source, no matter where they are!

Current count: 212

-Post by Helen Levins