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| 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 same mistake when it was first a visitor. The scientific name refers to one of two mountains with the name 'Mount Ida', one in Crete and one in Turkey - the one in Crete was where the gods and goddesses watched the Trojan wars. Dimidiata means to 'divide into half'.
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| Barred Yellow (Cidaria fulvata) |
No blending into the background with this brightly coloured moth. Given the name Cideria fulvata by Georg Friedrich Treitschke (1776 - 1842) we can be sure the reference is to Ceres, the goddess who protected agriculture. Treitschke was a librettist and a translator who revised the opera Fidelio at Beethoven's request. The moth was named in 1825 and the provenance is certain. The Barred Yellow feeds, as a larva, on the leaves of Dog-rose and Burnet Rose and probably other roses.
Others moths found on this 'day-after-the-shortest-night' included : Poplar Hawkmoth, Burnished Brass, Sandy Carpet, Barred Straw, Buff Ermine, Beautiful Golden Y, Brimstone Marble Minor, Flame Shoulder, Heart and Dart and Silver-ground carpet. Nothing surprising but a fair number of each species for a chilly night.
