Shandy Hall Moths
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 […]
26 October 2011
26 October 2011 – The Chestnut
The Chestnut (Conistra vacinii) The lightning and the downpour prevented a trap last night, just when it seemed the weather was favourable. It’s getting late in the year now but maybe it is still worth a chance this weekend. The last posting mentioned that there were two other moths in the trap – both similar but […]
18 October 2011
17 October 2011 – Green-brindled Crescent
Green-brindled Crescent (Allophyes oxyacanthae) It is such a pleasure to identify a new species to arrive at Shandy Hall and on Saturday night two Green-brindled Crescent moths were drawn to the light trap. Allophyes oxyacanthae is the Latin name coming from the hawthorn (Cratageus oxyacantha) that the caterpillar often feeds on. Allophyes means ‘changeful in nature’. […]
19 September 2011
19 September 2011 – Merveille du Jour
Life’s complications The Canary-shouldered Thorn was kindly confirmed by Dave Chesmore. Since then life’s complications have made setting the trap difficult and when it has been – still the wasps come. What time do they get up? Do they go marauding at night? When I look at the contents of the trap in the morning […]
24 August 2011
23 August 2011 – A Thorny Question
Canary-shouldered Thorn (Ennomos alniaria) ? Wasps and plums have been two obstacles hindering successful traps over the last couple of weeks. The trap is normally placed on grass not far from a plum tree, but the increase of ripening fruit, and the number of young wasps from one of the nests in the garden, has […]
3 August 2011
3 August 2011 – Wrapped in a veil
The past two moth-traps have had nothing of great interest to record. Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings (Noctua fimbriata), Common Rustics (Mesapamea secalis), Common Footmen (Eilema lurideola)* and Wainscots (Mythimna pallens) making up the majority of low species counts. Meanwhile the caterpillars are beginning to pupate. A tiny hole in the corner of the cage (enlarged by […]
26 July 2011
25 July 2011 – Thorns
August Thorn and Purple Thorn When opening the trap first thing in the morning, the spotted flycatchers sit in the lilac or the plum tree and wait to twirl after any moth that is disturbed when lifting the sheet or moving an egg carton. If the flycatchers happen to be elsewhere, the swallows will swoop […]
15 July 2011
15 July 2011 – The 169th species
Acleris forsskaleana Last night was a better night for moths – cloudy, warmish and not much in the way of a moon, or at least not over Coxwold. This morning at 6am there were four Garden Tiger moths, four Poplar Hawks, three Brimstones, Silver Ys, Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, enough Common Footmen to staff a palace […]
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
