Shandy Hall Moths
7 October 2013
6 October 2013 – Flame-keeper
Vestal (Rhodometra sacraria) Linnaeus thought priestesses wore saffron robes; or perhaps the simple and beautiful rose-coloured (rhodon) pattern suggested to him that this moth was the embodiment of chastity. Either way this elegant moth is an unusual visitor to this part of North Yorkshire and new to the garden. The colouring varies considerably – some adults […]
5 October 2013
5 October 2013 – Snouts and Liquorice Papers
Dark Sword-grass (Agrotis ipsilon) When the trap was inspected, this moth was rolled-up like a charred liquorice-paper (the wings wrapped around the moth’s body making a sort of tube) and was sheltering in an egg-box. The Dark Sword-grass (Agrotis ipsilon) is an immigrant and its Latin name means ‘of the fields’. It is identified by the Greek letter Y (ypsilon) […]
4 October 2013
4 October 2013 – Golden Golden Yellow
Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) I had a feeling this moth was new but there are so many autumnal-coloured moths it is hard to be sure. The Centre-barred Sallow (Atethmia centrago) and Pink-barred Sallow (Xanthia togata) have both been recorded at Shandy Hall and the Barred Sallow (Xanthia aurago) – golden and yellow (aurum and xanthos) – […]
3 October 2013
2 October 2013 – Dark Chestnut
Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) The Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula) has come to the light trap on both of the last two nights. The colour of the wings is like deep, rich polished furniture with a number of short, white striations on the forewings. The Latin (Conistra) makes reference to an arena, or area within an arena, covered in […]
2 October 2013
1 October 2013 – Moth as Muse
Frosted Orange (Gortyna flavago) Ferdinand Ochsenheimer refined the Linnaen system of classification and gave the Frosted Orange its Latin name Gortyna flavago. There seems to be no reason why the Cretan town of Gortyn should be selected until we learn that Ochsenheimer was an actor and playwright who used to spend his days collecting and identifying moths and butterflies. His evenings were spent performing. If he had […]
1 October 2013
30 September 2013 – Beaded Chestnut
Beaded Chestnut (Agrochola lychnidis) The last night of September and the rain is still holding off. This morning there were a number of moths in the trap, many of them looking like they were variants of each other. This was the most distinctive and I am reasonably confident that it is a Beaded Chestnut – a new species […]
6 September 2013
5 September 2013 – Fuzzy Nettle-Tap
Anthophila fabriciana This photograph, taken late last night in the gallery is slightly out of focus and it will be replaced as soon as the rain stops and another ‘nettle-tap’ can be located. These little moths behave like flies with their darting, explosive, jerky movements. They seem to prefer running to flying and as they remain still for […]
29 August 2013
28 August 2013 – All as that moth call’d Underwing
Svensson’s Copper Underwing (Amphipyra berbera) Another moth recorded, but not photographed, appeared in the gallery yesterday. The position of its wings at rest was unfamiliar to me and it was easily disturbed and immediately frantically active – moving speedily in an attempt to avoid the daylight. The photograph above (the moth settled on a drinking-glass) was used as reference […]
20 August 2013
20 August 2013 – Plumesday
Twenty-plume Moth (Alucita hexadactyla) The Twenty-plume Moth was the first discovery on what must now be called Plumesday. This moth was recorded in the first year of trapping but (again) it is one that I don’t remember seeing. Dave will have identified and recorded it while my attention was elsewhere. Happy I was to […]
14 August 2013
14 August – From Green to Gold
Larvae of the White Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis) Four days after emerging from the capsule (shown on the right) the White Satin moth caterpillars are munching willow leaves with enthusiastic precision. Each cellular section is eaten and the leaf becomes an intricate and delicate ornament of filigree – the colour even looks like gold. There must be eighty of […]
12 August 2013
9 August 2013 – Cider with Rosy Rustic
Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea) A moth that might have flown straight out of the pages of Laurie Lee. Hydraecia means ‘a dweller near water’ and micacea means ‘to quiver’ or ‘to glitter’. The Rosy Rustic has been recorded before but not photographed and, as this specimen was as fresh as a daisy, it gets its own slot as the representative of the Moth Night […]
2 August 2013
2 August 2013 – Off to See the World.
It’s my last day! But I still have one more blog post yet to complete. I’ve had an absolutely wonderful time here at Shandy Hall these past two months, and I’ve met many amazingly nice people whom I hope to keep in contact with in the future. I’m sure the moths will miss me, and […]
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
