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 more compliant and can be persuaded to be moved into a more aesthetically pleasing pose using a paint brush and then re-positioned on a leaf or flower head. Others take flight at the slightest disturbance - the beautiful Waved Umber (Menophra abruptaria) that I was very pleased to see was gone in a second and no record of its capture remains.  

The Chinese Character (Cilix glaucata) remains emphatically still, relying on its camouflage as protection and very useful for the photographer.  But if the moth happens to be resting in an awkward place not suitable for an indentifying image then it will not easily be persuaded to move to a better position.  It flutters and dashes, first to one side then another, displaying some beautiful patterns and then closes up into its characteristic 'bird dropping' pose.  Spuler, A (1869-1937) a German entomologist, suggests the scientific name refers to the Greek word 'killix' meaning 'an ox with crooked horns'.  Is this what can be seen etched in white on the dark grey blotch of colour on the forewing?

Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata)

 

 

The Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) is a flighty creature and I had to follow this one around the garden until it came to rest.  A common moth in North Yorkshire, it can be seen in flight during the day as much as night.  The scientific name means 'the yellow stream in the mountains' referring to the wavy lines or 'rivulets' on the forewings.

Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata)

The Brimstone Moth (Opisthograptis luteolata) is another moth that relies on instant flight if disturbed. It will gently move its wings before completely settling in a new position, but the opportunity to record it in a photograph needs to be undertaken swiftly.  The word 'brimstone' (also referring to the similarly coloured butterfly) is another word for sulphur.  The Brimstone Moth's scientific name includes the Greek 'graptos' meaning 'marked or painted with letters' - presumably a reference to the markings on both upper and lower surfaces of the forewings.

Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta puta)

This moth was coaxed from the moth trap onto a lilac leaf with ease.  The Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta puta) is found all over England and Wales. Its defence is in its woody colouring.  The scientific name is probably from 'agrotes' meaning 'of the field; the 'puta' part being related to 'the goddess of pruning of trees'. Or, again, it could refer to 'putris' the rotten wood that the markings resemble.

 

White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda )

A particularly striking example of a very attractive moth - the White Ermine (Spilosoma lubricipeda), a moth that can be found on the wing late at night. The caterpillar's speedy crawl is referred to in the 'lubricipes' (swift-footed) part of the scientific name.  The 'spilos' (spot) and 'soma' (body) makes reference to the spots on the abdomen, not on the wings of the adult.  The White Ermine is especially welcome as the larvae feed on nettles and dock.  Last night I found one on the curtains in an upstairs room with no open windows, so how it got there I cannot imagine. (Yesterday morning a European Hornet, not the invasive Asian species, was also discovered inside, buzzing and bashing against the old kitchen window.)

 

Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda)

The Pale Tussock (Calliteara pudibunda) appears to have crash-landed onto the side of the moth trap, with its legs sprawling in front of its head and abdomen.  This moth will cling to the surface it is resting on and prefers to simulate lifelessness if it is moved.  Before insecticides it was very common in the hop fields in Kent but numbers have declined.  It is still a common moth however, and one that is instantly recognisable.

(Pseudoswammerdamia combinella)

'Rare and local resident' is the description of this moth on the Yorkshire Moths Flying Tonight website but it seems to have a little sanctuary in the gardens in Coxwold as I have seen it every year since moth-trapping began here ten or so years ago.  Instantly identified by the bright orangey-coloured spot it is not easy to photograph and I had to capture it in a tube, persuade it to land on the screw-top and then quickly get a picture before it took off.

 

Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac)

 

 

 

The 'ziczac' part of the scientific name for the Pebble Prominent (Notodonta ziczac) is a reference to the markings on the caterpillar which form a zig-zag pattern, emphasised by the larva's resting attitude.  The Pebble Prominent was very common when moth trapping began at Shandy Hall but numbers seem to have decreased.  The food source - sallows, willows and poplars - is still available in abundance so something else is responsible.  This moth was very agitated when it was gently moved from the trap and it only became quieter when it was released from the inspection tube

Mottled Pug (Eupithecia exiguata )

If disturbed, this pug moth will find another place to repose quite quickly but that doesn't mean it will be easy to identify.  According to the field guide's description the moth has a 'forewing warm grey, leading edge curved. Central spot conspicuous, rather elongated with a series of small black wedges beyond it.  A narrow, pale outer central cross-band, angled near leading edge, with two straw-coloured smears extending towards outer edge.  This combination of of features is diagnostic'.  Which doesn't mean that this is definitely a Mottled Pug.  It's one of many species that are very similar and cause difficulties for the amateur enthusiast. However, it is very similar to another from Shandy Hall gardens that regional expert Charlie Fletcher identified, so I think it is one is correct.

31 August 2014 - Woven Carpets

Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta)

The Shuttle-shaped Dart has been seen in York Museum Gardens over most of the summer, but hardly at all in Coxwold.  This is a particularly bright example showing the pointed-ends to the pale oval marking that has been interpreted as a shuttle - the weaving kind.  The meaning of the scientific name is open to interpretation: agrotis - from the Greek for 'of the field', or 'a countryman'; the second part of the binomial is puta which has a variety of possible derivations: 1. Puta - the goddess who oversees the pruning of trees; 2. pure; 3. from puto - to think; or perhaps from puteus meaning a well.  (There is another meaning in Spanish.)  Take your pick.

Our countryman is found in a plastic palace amidst Autumn crocuses until its release this evening. 

Flame Carpet (Xanthorhoe designata)

The other already recorded moth (but not photographed before) is the Flame Carpet.  This moth wouldn't stay still for a moment so had to be snapped in a collecting tube.  The Latin name can be interpreted as 'clearly defined yellow stream' - which doesn't really apply to the Flame Carpet.

24 October 2014 - Yorkshire Moths Flying Last Night

Dark Chestnut (Conistra ligula)

Last night was warmer, the wind had dropped a little and there was good cloud cover. A thick pile of midges beneath the lamp and an extraordinary number of caddis flies - between thirty and forty in total - hiding somewhat malevolently on the underside of the egg cartons. A number of trembling insects on very long legs - barely able to balance until airborne - left the trap when the plastic cover was removed.  Flies with eyes like rubies and a couple of toffee-coloured ladybirds had also taken up temporary residence alongside the closed fans of lacewings.  And lots of moths.

Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria)

I thought there might be two species here but the spattering of chocolate coloured spots on the wings of the moth below were just there to confuse me.  The submarine shape of a caddis, one of those ruby-eyed flies and a Merveille du Jour are also included in the photograph.  The Feathered Thorn at rest.  This might have been the moth that was battering at the window pane last night and I couldn't identify it.  The colour and the size point in this direction.

Feathered Thorn (Colotois pennaria)

Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 

The Red-green Carpet comes in a variety of different intensities of colour.  The green is as rich a green as you will ever see when the moth is fresh (see below), but green is the fugitive colour in the moth world.  The moth above has not taken to the water, the dew is on the outside of the plastic cover and the moth was perched on the inside. 

Red-green Carpet (Chloroclysta siterata) 

December Moth (Poecilocampa populi)

On close inspection there is something of the samurai about this moth.  It is chunky and hairy and seems prepared more for fight than flight.  There were four in the trap and the species seems to be doing well in Coxwold.

Aethes smethmanniana (Yarrow Conch)

Bowen identified this moth in August, just before he left to return to UPenn and, as I hadn't seen it before, I thought it was a new one for the list.  I was looking forward to identifying it and marking it as new (it is so well marked that an error would be unlikely) but it was not to be.

Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta puta)

Another moth already recorded at Shandy Hall, but only once before this year.

Merveille du Jour (Dichonia aprilana)

Satellite (Eupsilia transversa)

The Merveille du Jour was as beautiful as ever and the Satellite particularly well marked.

(Acleris)

Not sure which member of the Acleris family this is.  It could be laterana but then again it doesn't look brown enough.

Snout (Hypena proboscidalis)

This Snout should be second generation for this year but this one is not much smaller than usual.

Brown-spot Pinion (Agrochola litura)

The Brown-spot Pinion is the last example from last night's trap.  The weather looks promising again on Saturday so a trap will be set in the quarry.  

The full list of species for last night has been recorded but the sample above shows how one night can be so different from another - the trap on Wednesday had one Red-line Quaker and that was all.

6 August 2015 - Mothing in York

Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix)

On Tuesday night we ventured to York to set the trap. It was getting chilly by the time we arrived at the Yorkshire Museum Gardens, and the wind was picking up, so we set up right next to the museum, sheltered between small bushes. Arriving early the next morning, we saw that the moths had been deterred from their night flights by the weather; only a few rested on the egg-cartons - I think it was one of the smallest catches of the summer.

Shuttle-shaped Dart (Agrotis puta puta)

However, despite the dearth of moths, we did come across a few species that we hadn't seen yet this season, such as the Shuttle-shaped Dart (a mottled macro that could easily blend in to any brown surface) and the neatly spotted Bryotropha domestica micro. The leaflike brown-and-orange Herald and the tan Dun-bar were my favorites of the bunch - the Dun-bar looks like a brown Scalloped Oak, as both have the middle bar and two distinctive blackish dots on either wing.  Two micros are still not definitely identified but we will report as soon as we know what they are.*

(Argyresthia goedartella)*

The others present were mostly ones we'd seen before - Common Rustic, Dark Arches, Garden Grass-Veneer, Heart and Dart, Yellow Underwings. After wrestling with the wind to persuade them into little tubes and a mesh box, as the egg-cartons kept blowing away and several moths happily escaped on the breeze, we set up the project on the path that runs straight through the gardens. Several people stopped on their separate ways to work to inquire about the project.  We hope to return soon next week and set up another trap - one that will hopefully yield a larger range and amount of moths!

*Argyresthia goedartella or Golden Argent  has been identified by Charlie Fletcher.  This micro has not been seen at Shandy Hall and I'll check with Stuart Ogilvy at YMT to see if it is new for that site.

Post : Ariel A Smith (UPenn)