Shandy Hall Moths
15 June 2012
15 June 2012 – Half the Night
The Spectacle (Abrostola tripartita) Last night had heavy winds and rain, so we had to take the trap in around midnight. We missed out on some of the later-flying moths, and didn’t capture any Hawk-moths. Fortunately we still managed to capture five species for tonight’s Open Garden Scheme moth event. Some were the usual visitors, […]
14 June 2012
14 June 2012 – The Very Hairy Caterpillar
The Drinker (Euthrix potatoria) We did not set the trap yesterday as the temperature dropped again and the night was wet. Instead, we took an evening stroll in search of the dancing Ghost Moths and brought along our own Ghost Moth to release in case we found them. Although we didn’t spot any dancing moths, […]
13 June 2012
13 Jun 2012 – Shall we dance?
Silver-ground Carpet Moth I was eager to look through the trap this morning as it was the first sunny day that we trapped in the quarry. Despite the weather, there were not many moths awaiting us. I was delighted, however, to find my first Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli). Its Latin name is almost identical to that […]
12 June 2012
11 Jun 2012 – A Colorful* Assortment
Common Marbled Carpet (Chloroclysta concinnata) Green Carpet (Colostygia pectinataria) Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) This weekend we tested two new strategies and decided to continue with one but abandon the other. Please read on because we’d like to save you the trouble of repeating our mistakes. First the bad. On Friday we finally decided to start setting the trap […]
8 June 2012
7 June 2012 – A Fussy Bunch
Unidentified Pug Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) This morning was a bit comical as the three moths I wanted to photograph were the three most energetic. The first moth, the Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata), zipped out of the trap as soon as it was uncapped, leaving me to hop around the garden as it escaped my […]
6 June 2012
6 June 2012 – After the Rain
Lime Hawk-moth (Mimas tiliae) Last night was the first time we had set the trap in the rain, and I’m sure glad that we did. We had some of the usual visitors: the White Ermine (playing dead as usual), and two Common Swifts (who I decided were male and female lovers, as they were nestled […]
29 May 2012
28 May 2012 – Peach Blossom
Peach Blossom (Thyatira batis) Never having seen real peach blossom a comparison had to be made and the computer image-bank shows the description is accurate. This delicately patterned and beautifully coloured moth is unmistakeable and was recognised immediately even though this is a first appearance at Shandy Hall. Thyatira batis is the Latin name : […]
24 May 2012
23 May 2012 – Beggar my neighbour
Muslin Moth (Diaphora mendica) Last year, at about this time, a new species of moth was identified – the Muslin moth (Diaphora mendica). For some inexplicable reason it failed to find its place on the list – but fortunately another turned up in the trap last night. Powdered Quaker (Orthosia gracilis) However very little else […]
8 May 2012
6 May 2012 – Sitting on the Fence
Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) The swallows have returned to the barn – only two pairs at the moment but they are swooping and swirling and communicating with such an excited chatter it seems certain that they will move in soon. Presumably they are inspecting the already constructed nests (there are a couple of dozen from […]
5 April 2012
National Gardens Scheme – Moth trapping and identification evening – 20 April 2012
This year the garden at Shandy Hall celebrates 30 years of opening to the public for the National Gardens Scheme. To mark the occasion the National Gardens Scheme has presented a Green Gage tree. The Green Gage was mentioned for the first time in a literary work in ‘The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy’, […]
27 March 2012
26 March 2012 – Moth Equinox
The Satellite (Eupsilia transversa) The days have been warm but the nights have still been leaving a frost at dawn so the assumption has been that it is probably too cold for the moth trap. The trial run at the weekend produced two new species so I was obviously wrong. The Satellite and the Twin-spotted […]
21 December 2011
21 December 2011 – Winter Moth
Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) A light in the kitchen, close to an outside window, attracted a moth to rest on the glass. From beneath it was quite drab in appearance and difficult to photograph. However, catching it and bringing it inside was simple and after a short burst of frantic activity, it came to rest with […]
Recent Moths
- 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
- 4 July 2023 – Mother of Pearl, an Inspiration to Science
- 28 June 2023 – Buff-tipped Marble
- 23 June 2023 – Moth or Butterfly?
- 20 June 2023 – Bee, Straw, Emerald and a Ghost
- 17 June 2023 – Old and New
