Shandy Hall Moths
20 June 2013
20 June 2013 – A bird dropping, or not?
Epiblema cynosbatella is a member of a group of micro-moths described as ‘bird droppings.’ This is for their muddled white, blue, tan, brown, and black colors. These micro-moths are generally difficult to tell apart. We were bombarded by a mass of them yesterday – the others will appear in future postings. The trap was a flurry […]
19 June 2013
19 June 2013 – A Mistaken Rarity.
Crambus lathoniellus We identified a new micro-moth. Patrick and I both, independently, mistook it for the extremely scarce Crambus ericella, but our hopes were dashed and we were set right by Dr. Chesmore. It is in fact the common Crambus lathoniellus. It has a white line near the outer edge of the wing (here near the […]
18 June 2013
18 June 2013 – A Moth a Day (our 100th post).
We are now on our 100th blog post! The weather is turning around and new moths are on the wing! Over the past few days we have had a good number of new moths in the gardens. It seems as if new broods are starting to hatch. Patrick was quite excited to see the Elephant […]
14 June 2013
14 June 2013 – Old to Shandy Hall, new to you.
The past few days have brought in greater numbers and variety of moths than we’ve seen thus far this summer, though we’re still not seeing the hundreds that should be appearing. The weather has started turning cloudy again, and yesterday brought in a bit of rain. We’ve caught a number of new micro-moths, most of […]
11 June 2013
11 June 2013 – Where are all the moths?
The moth trap numbers are going down again. Yesterday brought in a total of 13 moths, with two new ones included! Today though we caught a total of only two : a Poplar Hawk-moth and a Beautiful Golden Y. It is almost mid-June and the numbers still haven’t started climbing. Where have all the moths gone? Garden […]
10 June 2013
10 June 2013 – New Moth Admirers at Coxwold Open Gardens.
Yesterday we had a good variety of catches, perfect for showing visitors during the Coxwold Open Gardens! Our Poplar Hawk-moth was by far the crowd favorite. The bright greenish-yellow Brimstone Moth and the two Scorched Wings were complimented on their colors, and our multitude of fluffy White Ermine slept peacefully in a bunch as their admirers […]
7 June 2013
7 June 2013 – A Litter of Pugs, and a Few Others.
The weather continues with warm days and cold nights. Still having abnormally small catches, albeit interesting ones. I’ve met Dr. Chesmore in person for the first time today and had some wonderful conversation on his research and moth identification. Grey Pug (Eupithecia subfuscata) Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata) Pugs galore! Yesterday’s moth trap brought in a […]
5 June 2013
5 June 2013 – New moth for UPenn recorder.
I’ll be taking over the blog for the next two months as the new student intern from UPenn. Along with continuing the identification of new moth species to Shandy Hall, we are now going to be recording our catches in numbers as well. Quite excited to continue the work of Patrick Wildgust and Helen Levins. Patrick […]
22 May 2013
20 May 2013 – The very least.
Least Black Arches (Nola confusalis) The Museums at Night moth-trap was a wild and wind-swept event – it rained solidly all evening, night and most of the following day. The total catch was a single Waved Umber and a Hebrew Character. Thanks to those who braved the weather. Last night brought the first Poplar Hawkmoth […]
8 May 2013
7 May 2013 – Artemis moth.
Clouded Drab (Orthosia incerta) Five Clouded Drabs (Orthosia incerta) all reflecting their Latin name of incerta : uncertain. This common species can be confusing to identify owing to the varieties of colour and markings – from black to orangey-buff. The orthosia refers to the subterminal line being straight, but the word is also connected to the goddess Artemis. Quite […]
7 May 2013
6 May 2013 – Overwintering over.
I had forgotten about them. I had stopped to think about something or other and my gaze accidentally fell upon the plastic container behind the geraniums in the porch. By some fortunate coincidence the seven remaining caterpillars had begun their search for food that very morning. They ignored clover and buttercup but set their mandibles to work on the leaves of a rose. Perhaps we […]
5 March 2013
2 March 2013 – Overwintering another way
The Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) Here is another version of overwintering found in the dark in Nidderdale on 2 March. Tom Taylor’s cave is in the heart of the rock at How Stean Gorge. It is very black and the pathway through from the Gorge (passing the dripping stalagtite) is narrow. Handy dynamo torches are available from the helpful assistants in the shop to help find […]
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
