Shandy Hall Moths
28 May 2018
28 May 2018 – Regulars to the Gardens
White Ermine (Spilsoma lubricipeda) The days are hot – the nights are not. Last night registered only 10 degrees in the gardens but there was hope that there might be a good catch to give some idea of the moth population this May. The White Ermine is one of the easier moths to identify and […]
15 May 2018
15 May 2018 – Ferruginous Brimstone
Brimstone (Opisthograptis luteolata) A very common moth that can be seen throughout the summer months is the Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata). It can be disturbed from grasses and plants during the day and is immediately recognisable by the bright yellow (luteolis) fore and hind wings. The first part of the binomial means ‘painted or marked […]
7 May 2018
7 May 2018 – A Head of Wool
Eriocrania subpurpurella At the time of writing this moth needed to have its identity determined by Charlie Fletcher – a man who knows his moths. To begin with I thought it might be a worn Horse-chestnut Leaf Miner (Cameraria ohridella) as its wings were shiny in the sun and I remembered the sparkly clouds of tiny, […]
6 May 2018
6 May 2018 – One Pretty Streamer
Streamer (Anticlea derivata) May is still early for many moth species – the rise in temperature of the last couple of days has brought out the butterflies but last night’s mercury vapour light attracted only 20 or so moths – mainly Clouded Drabs (Orthosia incerta) and Hebrew Characters (Orthosia gothica). A couple of pugs have […]
21 April 2018
21 April 2018 – March Dagger
(Diurnea fagella) The first trap of 2018 was set following the hottest April day for many years – however the overnight temperature had dropped considerably and when I went out at 6am this morning the dew had saturated the lawn with an icy coldness and expectations were low. Visitors were due to arrive mid-morning and […]
17 April 2018
17 April 2018 – Herald
Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) A surprise clinging onto the back of an empty picture frame, in what serves as a garage for the mower, was an overwintering Herald. What to do for the best? I know you are advised not to be concerned about preserving life-forms artificially, but I have generally believed that Androcles was behaving […]
26 October 2017
26 October 2017 – Old Wood
Red Sword-grass (Xylena vetusta) The promise was that there would be no rain, no rain for two or three days. And warm, it said. It wasn’t. But the weather didn’t prevent a new species arriving in the garden – the Red Sword-grass (Xylena vetusta). With my mix-up over the Turnip Moth and the Dark Sword-grass […]
17 October 2017
16 October 2017 – Turnips and Mangel-wurzles
Turnip Moth (Agrotis segetum) I have only seen the Turnip Moth once before and that was at Bottengoms Farm (on the Suffolk / Essex border) when Ronald Blythe kindly invited me to trap in his garden. I had hoped to be able to show him how many different species there were floating through the foliage […]
16 October 2017
15 October 2017 – Connection with the Sphinx
Sprawler (Asteroscopus sphinx) Identifying this morning’s collection of snoozing moths took longer than it should have, largely due to my own incompetence, but also because of the slight variations of colour and pattern on the wings of the insects. Some moths are straightforward and easy to identify as they always look the same. Others appear […]
14 October 2017
14 October 2017 – Moth and Sympathetic Magic
Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) Fortunately I was reminded that it was National Moth Night. The mercury vapour light was switched on around 8pm and a few moths appeared immediately. The trap was positioned close to the clumps of ivy in the walled garden as the recently flowered climber has been visited by lots of Red Admiral […]
29 September 2017
28 September 2017 – Stone Pinion
Blair’s Shoulder-knot (Lithophane leautieri) Last night was quite active in the moth world. The temperature was relatively mild and the cloud-cover was quite thick and this stimulated activity. The species identified this morning were : Angle Shades, Green Carpet, Red-green Carpet, Red-line Quaker, Lunar Underwing, Dark Sword-grass, Common Wainscot, Snout, Silver Y, Setaceous Hebrew Character, […]
24 September 2017
24 September 2017 – Ivy and Ash and Thorn
Black Rustic (Aporophyla nigra) with ivy It was warmer last night – following what seems like weeks of rain and chill. Perhaps we have a micro-climate here in Coxwold. The Hambleton Hills seem to conspire with the Howardian Hills and funnel wind and rain down a narrow corridor that keeps the trees moving pretty much […]
Recent Moths
- Rise of the AI Naturalist
- Best Moths for a Haunted Abbey
- The Real and Fake Deaths of Moths
- The Colonizers of Yorkshire
- Glamour in the Dark: Two Newcomers Arrive at Shandy Hall
- 25 July 2023 – Collective Noun for Hawkmoths
- MOTH LIST to August 2023 with links
- 28 July 2023 – TRIPLE New Species Alert!
- 18 July 2023 – A Golden…Plusia!
- 13 July 2023 – Arts and Sciences
- 10 July 2023 – Rise of the Yellow Underwings
- 4 July 2023 – Cold-weather Catch
