Shandy Hall Moths
18 July 2020
17 July 2020 – Charles Bonnet and the Homunculus
(Argyresthia bonnetella) A moth with a connection to Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy? Odd but delightfully true. If the scientific name, Argyrthesia bonnetella, is examined, its sources can be identified. Arguros is the word for silver and esthes translates as dress. The two words combined refer to the metallic sheen on the moth’s wings. Bonnetella is […]
13 July 2020
13 July 2020 – Changed Identities
Small Fan-footed Wave (Idaea biselata) The weather continues to complicate matters. Last night the temperature dropped following a sunny, almost hot, day and the number of moths in the trap reflects the chilly flying conditions. On the floor of the ‘arcade’ in the garden there is evidence of some moth activity. One spot in the […]
8 July 2020
7 July 2020 – Black and White
Peppered Moth (Biston insularia) All the Peppered Moths I have seen in the gardens at Shandy Hall have been the whiter versions of the species – until now. Here is Biston insularia (‘insular’ meaning : pertaining to an island) which is halfway between Biston betularia and B. carbonaria. This intermediate member of the species is […]
29 June 2020
28 June 2020 – Post Script
Beautiful Snout (Hypena crassilis) I hoped there might be another Beautiful Snout in the trap and there was – still not in perfect condition but much better than the first. The velvety, chocolate-coloured wing markings were clear and the little distinctive lines on the wing-tips easily seen. I have looked out for bilberry bushes (the […]
25 June 2020
24 June 2020 – From Kent to Yorkshire
Beautiful Snout (Hypena crassalis) I knew I hadn’t seen this moth before but it was a rather worn little creature and to begin with I didn’t pay it much attention. The orange mark just behind the head is not a feature that might aid identification, it is where tufts of hair would normally cover the […]
22 June 2020
22 June 2020 – Moths and Beethoven
Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) At first I assumed it was a pug. I was wrong. The Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata) is the correct identification despite the fact that there are quite a number of spots on the wings of this moth. Not a new one for the garden and I see that I made the […]
18 June 2020
16 June 2020 – Platonic Harmony
Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix (Pandemis cerasana) Some mornings everything falls into place – other mornings are more complicated. Just as I was beginning to inspect the trap to see what was to be found, a Small Elephant Hawkmoth decided to launch itself into activity. The wing-beats of this moth are frenetic and relentless and it will […]
11 June 2020
9 June 2020 – Ah! Bistones
Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) In 1845 this image might have helped the amateur enthusiast to identify the startlingly bright, black and white moth that had been observed or trapped by light, as a Peppered Moth. Both male (fig. 11) and female (fig. 12) are shown in the drawing which comes from British Moths and their […]
2 June 2020
2 June 2020 – Tales from the Cryptic
Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) Like a small number of species of moths, the Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala) is one that seems to be attracted to light but doesn’t quite make it into the trap itself; all the more reason for putting a white sheet beneath the lamp to make sure any strays don’t disappear into the grasses. […]
31 May 2020
30 May 2020 – Trap in the Old Quarry
The Quarry Garden in May A pathway through the campions and grasses shows the location of the moth-trap. I don’t always trap in the quarry garden but it does seem to produce more micro moths than when the trap is positioned on the grass near the borders. The results from last night’s trap are below. […]
27 May 2020
26 May 2020 – New Species in the Garden
(Isotrias rectifasciana) This moth perplexed me. I didn’t think I had seen it before but no matter how carefully I compared my photograph with the drawings in the Field Guide (illustrations by Richard Lewington) and the photographs in Manley’s British Moths I couldn’t be sure of its identity. It was small with brown, speckled markings […]
21 May 2020
21 May 2020 – A Selection
Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) Photographing moths for identification is sometimes straightforward – the moth is clinging to an egg box in the trap and when the box is taken out and laid on a table or on grass, the moth doesn’t move and can be photographed easily. Some species are even […]
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
