Shandy Hall Moths
12 August 2014
11 August 2014 – Crossing the Alps
Elephant Hawk-moth (larva) A surprise for Sterne scholar, Helen Williams, who spotted this creature trundling across the gravel in the garden at Shandy Hall.. Only the second one I have seen and in exactly the same spot as the previous time. We put some enchanter’s nightshade, willow herb and fuchsia into a large container (food-plants […]
10 August 2014
10 August 2014 – Harbinger of Autumn
Scalloped Hook-tip (Falcaria lacertinaria) The first week of August is already behind us, which means summer is nearing its end. It might be too early yet to declare the arrival of autumn, but we’re certainly starting to see signs of fall all around us – the harvested fields and lofty hay forts, yellowing grass in […]
8 August 2014
8 August 2014 – Disquieting Melancholy
Flounced Rustic (illustration) The colors and markings of the Flounced Rustic are immediately apparent. The moth’s wings display a beautiful procession of shades: from the dark, black fur around the thorax, to the white lace above the central grey band, and finally to the milky ribbon skirting the edge of the wings, like a river. […]
5 August 2014
5 August 2014 – The Footman Stripped Bare
Spot the difference – moth or melon pip? The scientific name of the Dingy Footman – Eilema griseola – means ‘a veil of grey’. This name fittingly describes the cloudy color on the back of the moth’s wings, encircled by a faint yellow border. The color composition is similar to that of the Common Footman […]
3 August 2014
3 August 2014 – A Small Void
Common Roller (Ancylis badiana) When the Common Roller (Ancylis badiana) was first discovered in the light trap, all that was immediately discernible was the silver ring around the edge of its wings. When the wings are folded, the back of the moth is covered by a dark, oval shaped mark. Under sunlight, the dark patch appears […]
2 August 2014
2 August 2014 – Yarrow Conch
Yarrow Conch (Aethes smeathmanniana) Some moths have names that are repetitive and confusing, while others are named rather exquisitely. It is a delight to pronounce the name of the newest Shandy Hall moth – the Yarrow Conch (Aethes smeathmanniana). ‘Yarrow Conch’ does not only read well, it describes the moth perfectly. ‘Yarrow’ indicates the moth’s […]
31 July 2014
30 July 2014 – Dark Spinach
Dark Spinach (Pelurga comitata) Patrick and I had different opinions this morning regarding the identity of a rather bulky moth with fan-shaped wings and uplifted abdomen. Patrick reckoned it was a Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata), just like an earlier visitor to the garden three days ago. I believed (and hoped) that it was a Dark […]
26 July 2014
25 July 2014 – Knot-horn and Groundling
Phycita roborella This week we set traps in York on two consecutive days, hoping to take advantage of the warm July evenings. The results recorded no less than ten new species for the York Museum Gardens. Of these new findings, two haven’t been recorded at Shandy Hall so they haven’t yet appeared on this blog. […]
23 July 2014
23 July 2014 – A Second Coming
Pearl Grass Veneer (Catoptria pinella) Earlier in the week I mentioned that I had neglected to photograph one particular nocturnal visitor to the gardens. We had shown this species to everyone who was curious as to what we were doing in the gardens in York at 7am in the morning, to demonstrate that moths are […]
22 July 2014
22 July 2014 – Where’s the Yellow Underwing?
Least Yellow Underwing (Noctua interjecta) Martin Handford’s ‘Where’s Wally?’ series of books for children has been one of my favourites while growing up. In the book, the reader is asked to find the protagonist (Wally) dressed in a red and white sweater and light-blue jeans, in a setting filled with hundreds of other people. The […]
21 July 2014
21 July 2014 – Like a Hare at Nightfall
Miller (Acronicta leporina) The title of this blog refers to the first moth – Miller or Acronicta (nightfall) leporina (like a hare [in winter]). The moth was on the outside of the trap and close to a Dagger (Acronicta psi) but was sufficiently different to warrant a closer look. In fact it was a case of looking very […]
16 July 2014
16 July 2014 – Blackneck Moth
The Blackneck Moth (Lygephila pastinum) For a long time, Jean-Francois Millet’s painting, The Gleaners, formed my perception of the life of the countryside. In the painting, the peasant women are hunched over a wide expanse of field, picking up the remains of a harvest. Their clothes, from the brown apron to the dark-blue dress, seem […]
Recent Moths
- Two Final New Micromoths
- Three More New Micromoths
- Three Majestic New Micromoths
- Invasion of the Beet-Army Worms
- Sarah Gillespie’s Mezzotint Moths
- A Visit From the Privet Hawk-Moth
- The Splendid Scarlet Tiger
- An Uncertainty of Species
- A New Micro-moth that Inhabits Where Others Do Not
- Brown Moths and ‘Binsey Poplars’
- SHANDY HALL MOTH LIST to August 2025 (alphabetical with links)
- Rise of the AI Naturalist
