Friday June 28 - macro moths

Actually, yesterday's macro moth story began on Wednesday morning. On the way back from the paper shop, newspaper in one hand, a litre of milk in the other, I stepped on a large green moth. Luckily for the moth I didn't put my full weight down as I just realised it was a moth and not a leaf at the last second. It fluttered from under my foot apparently undamaged and I chased it from the middle of the road to the curb. I couldn't pick it up so I continued home, grabbed a pot, and returned on the double.

It was a Large Emerald, and I was able to bring to the garden for a quick photo session before I left for work.

Large Emerald

I have the species on the house list from several years ago, but it has not featured in this blog before.

Scroll forward to Thursday morning. As usual I had a quick look at the wall of the house as I turned the trap off. I immediately saw a Coronet, and a similar looking moth which I supposed could also be one. In fact, a quick bit of research revealed it was a new one to me, a Varied Coronet.

Varied Coronet

Also on the door was the first of three Double-striped Pugs, and above the door the first of seven Riband Waves. These are very common moths, and I regularly record them in the bathroom every year.

Riband Wave

A second look at the doorframe produced another common moth which was new for the year. This one was Common Footman. I have certainly seen them before on occasional moth trapping events, but I can't recall having seen one here before.

Common Footman

Their numbers rose steadily as I found several more  in and around the trap, and eventually reached nine.

I finally turned my attention to the trap, and after scrutinising micro after micro, I pulled out an egg box containing a female Ghost Moth.

Ghost Moth

My only previous experience of this moth concerns white lekking males fluttering in the fields at dusk at Morton Bagot in the days when I used to go after work. Actually I had no idea what the  moths were, but when I described their behaviour Craig Round got in touch to tell me what I had been seeing. Today was the first time I had had a proper view, and was the first female I had seen. The moth is one of a small group which emerge without the ability to feed. Their mission is to breed and die. Sadly, this one was to fulfil the last part of its mission rather sooner than it, or I, had intended. In attempting to keep the moths safe from Robins I had placed the cartons containing moths in the entry passage beside the house. The Ghost Moth did not stay there and I found it in the jaws of a spider.

Egg cartons continued to reveal moths; a Pale Mottled Willow, 15 Heart and Darts, a Rustic, five Uncertains (including one I thought was a Rustic until JS put me right). On the other side of the trap I could see what at first sight you could have been forgiven for thinking was a large orange slug. But I knew what it really was. I had never actually seen one before but the Drinker is an extraordinary looking moth, one that stands out in the books.

Drinker

This one was a male, more orange than the larger female. As soon as I had removed it from the box the cartons revealed another prize. A Poplar Hawkmoth. Although this is my third hawkmoth in the garden this year, the species is supposed to be one of the commonest.

Poplar Hawkmoth

With hindsight I should have photographed it on the apple tree where I released it, as it blends in very well with the egg box.

The remaining egg boxes revealed a Flame Shoulder, a Heart and Club, a Marbled Minor ag, and a Dark Arches. I identified all of these straight away but a later review of my photographs of the latter convinced me it was something else. Once again JS had to come to my rescue.

Heart and Club

Marbled Minor ag

Dark Arches

No one said it would be easy.