Shandy Hall Moths
20 June 2012
20 June 2012 – Delightful Discoveries
The Cinnabar, Tyria jacobaeae To my dismay, a swarm of about fifteen carpet moths escaped the trap as soon as I opened the lid. My luck soon turned for the better as I discovered three new species. It was quite the eventful morning here at Shandy Hall. The easiest to spot was The Cinnabar (Tyria […]
19 June 2012
19 June 2012 – One with the Wood
Swallow Prominent, Pheosia tremula This morning we had the Swallow Prominent (Pheosia tremula) resting on the frame of the screened cage. The color and pattern of its wings let it blend right into the wood. Pheosia, a prickly plant or spine, refers to these patterned lines running down its wings. Tremula means shaking or trembling and […]
19 June 2012
18 June 2012 – Strangers and Summer finally arrive
The Rivulet (Perizoma affinitata) If yesterday morning’s trap wasn’t such a success, I might have been jealous of Patrick for catching an Elephant Hawk-moth in my absence this weekend. But we woke up to a beautiful sunny morning and what may be three new species to Shandy Hall. We still await confirmation, but this may […]
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 […]
Recent Moths
- 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
- Best Moths for a Haunted Abbey
