26 June 2017 - Fiery Splendour

Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor)

As we peered into the moth trap this morning the wind started to pick up, so we moved everything and sheltered ourselves near the old stable wall. The trap contained a number of species which I have seen before but there were a couple of new ones as well. One was an Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor) which I have longed to see. Its striking streaks of pink are almost unimaginable.

Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides)

One species which has been recorded before, but surprisingly has not been written about, is the Buff Arches (Habrosyne pyritoides). Its scientific name is appropriate as Habrosyne means ‘splendour’, describing the moth’s beauty, and pyritoides is ‘of fire’, referring to the mineral copper pyrites which strikes fire. It also describes the brassy yellow color of the forewing. While the colors on the moth do not stand out like the Elephant Hawk-moth, the multitude of patterns makes it stunning. The pictures do not do the moth justice as viewing the Buff Arches in real life, it looks as if there are separate textures along its wings. 

Buff Arches (illustration)

Its scientific name used to be Thyatira derasa until it was later changed to Habrosyne pyritoides. My guess is that it was felt the moth deserved a name more suited to its elegance. 

The larvae of the moth feed on bramble (Rufus).

Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) was another moth found in our trap. There are two varieties of this moth and both forms occur equally. The one we have is the typical form. It has a thick dark band which stretches across its wings. Its scientific name, Idaea pertains to Mt. Ida which is where the gods and goddesses watched the Trojan War; aversata, from the Latin 'aversus' meaning 'belonging to the under part' where the discal spot is clearer on the underwing.

Shandy Hall gardens will be open for National Garden Scheme this coming Friday

(6.30pm - 8pm) - moth identification and release with Dr Dave Chesmore.

Post : Walter Chen [UPenn intern]

3 July 2012 - Discovering the "Hidden"

Cryptoblabes bistriga

We await confirmation on a few species, but we do have one new moth today! It was a cloudy, but still warm welcome for species number 195. The Cryptoblabes bistriga, our latest micromoth, stayed around just long enough for me to photograph him. Its name, crypto (hidden) blabe (damage), refers to the larvae that feed on the insides of folded oak and alder leaves, leaving the damage unnoticed from the outside. This is a very uncommon species, and had I known that this morning I would have kept a specimen for Dr. Chesmore to have a look at. I guess this is just a challenge for me to catch another Cryptoblabes bistriga before heading home.

*Editor's Note: Since publishing, the following moths have been identified. These results give us an additional 3 new species (Common Wave, Aethes cnicana, and Eucosma cana). Refer to the captions of their photographs for their respective names.

This next species, I’m not sure about. I think it could be the Aethes cnicana but let me know if you think otherwise. Aethes means unusual or strange and referred to a number of moths that were found to be yellowish in color. Cnicana, for Cnicus, is a synonym of Cirsium, the genus of its larvae’s foodplant. This makes me a bit more affirmative in my guess, because our gardens have plenty of thistles, a variety of Cirsium.

Confirmed: Aethes cnicana

The last moth I will try to identify is the Riband Wave (Idaea aversata). Idea for Mt. Ida is the grandstand where the gods and goddesses congregated to watch the Trojan War. Aversata is for aversus (belonging to the hinder or under part), because its markings are more visible from the underside than from above.

Confirmed: Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

I’ve included photographs below of some moths that I can not identify. I hope to have the answers tomorrow. In the meantime, do you have ideas?

Confirmed: Common Wave

Confirmed: Eucosma cana

-Post by Helen Levins

Confirmed: also Eucosma Cana

1 July 2019 - National Garden Scheme Moths

(Pseudargyrotoza cowagana)

Not a name to forget.  Certainly a very long name for a very small moth.  What secrets can be unlocked by finding the derivation of the scientific name? 'Pseudos' is the Greek for 'a falsehood' and the 'argurotoxos' refers to Apollo - the bearer of the silver bow.  He also had a golden bow with which he overcame the serpent Pthon.  If this moth is observed with a raking light, tiny silver scales can be seen on the forewings.  This moth had not been photographed before but was recorded by Dave Chesmore (moth expert and enthusiast) on one of his first visits to Shandy Hall - before this blog-posting ritual was born.  There were four of these little moths all showing the distinctive circular splodge of yellow on their backs.

'Conwagana' is a tip-of-the-hat to Conway, an 18th century entomologist who was a good friend to Fabricius, the most distinguished student of Linnaeus. Quite a lot of myth and scholarship for one moth to carry.

Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella)

I was pleased to quickly identify a moth I had seen only once before - the Codling Moth.

A full description of its identity can be seen here.  The little dots of tarnished gold make its identity certain.

Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

The number of moths caught in the moth trap on the night of 28 June was a little more promising than the previous five weeks or so.  Many of the traps set earlier in the year have been empty - completely empty - and this is cause for concern.  Just over 50 people turned up to visit the gardens in the early evening (the best time) and there was a sufficient variety of moth species to provide interest.  

The Riband Wave (Idaea aversata) arrived in plenty displaying a smattering of spots on its fawny wings and also the characteristic 'kink' in the third band on the edge of the wing.  It is a very common and very delicate moth that just needs a quick observation and then released before it damages itself against the perspex.

Mount Ida pertains to where the Greek gods and godesses observed the Trojan Wars and the 'aversata' part of the scientific name comes from 'aversus' - belonging to the under part. Linnaeus wrote 'punctum in pagina inferiore magis saturatum' - the spot more deeply coloured on the underside of the 'page', the 'page' meaning the surface of the wing.  A very bookish moth.

Small Angle Shades (Euplexia lucipara)

The Small Angle Shades always looks as if it has just come back from a good scrub and polish and then has been neatly folded. Its scientific name refers to the plaiting and weaving that the moth's resting position displays (can you see the 'fold' in the photograph?) and the second part (lucipara) refers to the 'light brought forth' as a golden mark beneath the black/purple colouring.

The larva feeds on foxglove, nettle, ferns and sallows in particular.

This week will bring a trap on Thursday and (hopefully) a sufficient number of moths to show to primary school children ...

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 now exposed thorax. 

The shape of the wings reminded me of the Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis) which has appeared only once before at Shandy Hall and then it was somewhat tattered - but it was clearly different when I had been through the various books. 
One moth seemed to match the wing patterns which was the Beautiful Snout, but it is not listed as one of the species that one would expect to see on the 'Flying tonight' website. Charlie Fletcher kindly confirmed its identity and tells me that it has spread across the county in recent years.  

The bilberry plant (Vaccinium myrtillus) seems to be the determining factor in the life of this moth - except for one location in Kent where a local colony of Hypena crassalis thrives but bilberry is not to be found.

Johan Christian Fabricius (1745 - 1808) was responisble for the scientific name.  Fabricius was a student under Linneaus and is considered one of the most eminent of entomologists and is responsible for the naming of nearly 10,000 species of insects. 

The Beautiful Snout is not as beautiful an example as it could be, but it is species number 441 for the garden and is very welcome.

Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

A true moth of the garden and commonly distributed throughout the country. Wood avens, dandelions, primrose and docks - the caterpillar is partial to all.  'Riband' is another spelling of ribbon. The second part of the scientific name (Mt Ida was referred to in the last post) is aversata meaning 'on the other side of the page' where the page means the surface of the wing. Linnaeus was stating that the markings on the under side of the wings were distinctive.
The Riband Wave is a fine example of a moth that can match any butterfly with its beautiful markings.

Green Oak Tortrix (Tortrix viridana)

The Green Oak Tortrix stands out in the moth trap and is easily identifiable.  It is a micro moth, they are usually (but not always) quite small and it is a very soft-acid green colour.  Always impatient and ready to be off, it had to be photographed in the familiar plastic tube to get any sort of identifiable image.  The larvae feed on mature broad-leaved trees and the pupa can be found in a rolled or folded leaf.

July Highflyer (Hydriomena furcata)

Green is the theme and is continued in the July Highflyer (Hydromena furcata).  A fine example was found in last night's trap, obviously freshly hatched from the pupa which has developed from the overwintering egg.  Click on the image to see more closely.  The scientific name is a little strange - Hydromena translates as 'remaining as a water-pot; furcata - a two-pronged fork represented by the markings on the wings.
Other moths last night included : Agapeta hamana, Chrysoteuchia culmella, Burnished Brass, Small Fan-foot, Poplar hawk, Clay, Heart and Dart, Udea olivalis, and a couple of others that I need to triple check.

15 July 2015 - The Waves

Single-dotted Wave (Ideae dimidiata)

Yesterday morning, while looking at the photographs from Thursday night's trap, we came to the conclusion that a new species had arrived at Shandy Hall - the Single-dotted Wave (Idaea dimidiata). We had difficulty locating it in Humphreys & Westwood (their illustrated picture is included beneath) because its taxonomy has changed with the years - it is recorded as Ptychopoda lividata in their 1845 edition. The moth was not easy to identify; that can in part be attributed to its proclivity to show up in varying colors - from bleached cream to tawny brown; ours was of the former. At first we suspected it might be a pug (satyr or ochreous, even though the colorings did not match up), because of the precise resting position and shape of its wings - in our photograph it appears narrower than in the Field Guide. However, the discrepancies in colors and lack of exact pattern matchings made identification inconclusive; only after consulting with Dave Chesmore from the University of York were we able to label it a new species. The Single-spotted Wave is common throughout Britain, found mainly in damp locations. I have concluded that the easiest way to recognize it is through the matching large dark dots on the edges of its wings; and how its "lines" appear to be comprised of small, speckled dots, as opposed to clearly delineated colorings. 

Post by Ariel Smith

Single-dotted Wave (illustration)

Having completed our investigations it was then noticed that there was an image of the Single-dotted Wave as a miscellaneous moth on the sidebar of the blog - dated 2011.  It wasn't a new species after all but had been captured and identified before the blog records were kept.

Riband Wave (Idaea aversata)

Trying to identify the pretty moth above, the colouring seemed to indicate that it must be a Smoky Wave - but it turns out to be a Riband Wave though greyer than usual.  Checking through old photographs of the Riband Wave posted on our blog, we found a second error in our archive - the moth beneath...

Small Blood-vein (Scopula imitaria)

...had been mistakenly identified as a Riband but should have qualified as a new species - the Small Blood-vein.  So the new total of 364 moth species is correct, but not as we thought.

The Small Blood-vein (Scopula imitaria) is not a common moth in North Yorkshire so we should have paid greater attention to its arrival in Coxwold.  The scientific name refers to a scopula (a small broom) and imitaria (to imitate or counterfeit). Your guess is as good as mine.

Small Blood-vein (illustration)