Shandy Hall Moths
7 September 2017
7 September 2017 – Gothic Browns
Feathered Gothic (Tholera decimalis) An intricately patterned moth is the Feathered Gothic, with its strings of white on a delicate, brown ground colour. The broad antennae give it the appearance of being tuned in to information sources about which we know not a thing. The moth scatters its eggs over grassland and the eggs remain […]
29 August 2017
29 August 2017 – The Typo Moth
Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) Such a striking moth is the Leopard (Zeuzara pyrina). This is only the second time that this species has been seen in the garden. As the pupa overwinters, sometimes for two or three years, it is possible that the eggs laid by the previous Leopard (in 2012) have hatched, pupated and […]
23 August 2017
23 August 2017 – China and Gold
Small China-mark (Cataclysta lemnata) A new species to Shandy Hall – but not to the blog. How can this be? A moth trap was set in Luddington-in-the-Brook in 2015, in the garden where the artist Carry Akroyd* lives. Even before I had set up all the paraphernalia that seems to go with identifying and […]
15 August 2017
15 August 2017 – Magical Circle of Moths
Magpie moth (Abraxas grossulariata) in variety A strange similarity to the last blog. Three moths of the same species beautifully illustrated by Henry Noel Humphreys once again, but this time they are Magpie moths and their circle might be easily conceived as magical. Abraxas is a Coptic word coined by the Gnostic teacher Basilides. He […]
11 August 2017
10 August 2017 – Ring a Ring a Rustic
Common Rustic (Mesapamea agg) in variety The trap was set on Wednesday night with high expectations (no rain!), but there was a definite chill in the air. This is supposed to be the height of Summer so surely there would be a wide variety of species despite the drop in temperature. Sadly it was not […]
3 August 2017
3 August 2017 – New Moth as Farewell
(Acleris aspersana) Despite the ominous clouds and rain, my last moth trap yielded amazing results. The number of moths increased immensely compared to the past few traps and the number of species rose as well. No matter the outcome, I would have been excited and grateful either way. In fact, there has never been a […]
28 July 2017
28 July 2017 – Heralding the End
Phoenix (Eulithis prunata) I started this internship with rain and the forecast tells me I will probably end with it as well. There’s still a few more days left so hopefully I can get in another moth trap before my departure. The past few traps have unfortunately been disappointing. The number of moths has decreased […]
23 July 2017
22 July 2017 – Scarce Footman
Scarce Footman (Eilema complana) Before opening the moth trap we scanned the interior of the tent, looking for any moths hiding inside the crevices or folds of the fabric. Usually when the tent is set up, there will mostly be a population of Common Footman and Mottled Rustics to be found. This time was similar, […]
20 July 2017
20 July 2017 – Fungus Feeder
(Crassa unitella) The moths trapped on Monday night were less active than on the previous occasion, but the diversity stayed the same. I was also greeted by a few wasps in the trap. Whether there is a wasp nest nearby or they just decided to take a late-night stroll, I’m not sure. Frankly, I was […]
18 July 2017
18 July 2017 – Fruit Lover in Frenzy
Large Fruit-tree Tortrix (Archips podana) I woke up Sunday morning to find a frenzy of moths fluttering about in the trap. Moths are usually docile and like staying still on the egg-boxes, (apart from the Yellow Underwings that just like to crawl all over everything) but on this occasion most were actively flying around. This […]
17 July 2017
17 July 2017 – Bright-eye
Brown-line Bright-eye (Mythimna conigera) After a break of several years, a Brown-line Bright-eye (Mythimna conigera) has finally returned to visit Shandy Hall. It was last recorded before the blog was created so no photographs had been taken. Mythimna conigera was a welcome change from looking at the several varieties of rustic moths, as the bold, […]
13 July 2017
13 July 2017 – Nests as Nourishment
Scalloped Oak (Crocallis elinguaria) Seeing the number of moths caught beginning to decrease, we decided to change the location and set the trap in the quarry instead. The next morning, after I had collected the trap, I was ready to see what was inside the egg boxes. Then it started to rain, so I decided […]
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
