No eggs, loads of moths

Easter Sunday morning – as a boy I’d be dead keen on gobbling up the eggs, now that I’m a wee bit older I get no chocolate eggs in the morning but now I can rush down the stairs to see what moths are in the trap. By rush, I mean it took me quite a team to change the boy’s nappy, feed him, feed myself and eventually get out there. I know I’ve got to speed up this routine or they’ll cook in the summer.

Anyway there was a moth bonanza (for me anyway today). There were seven Early Greys, 2 Hebrew Characters (new species for me), a Muslin and a funny little moth I couldn’t find in the book that may have been a larger micro. The small moth flew off when I went to take it’s photo.

Above is the Hebrew Character from the side and from the front (doing it’s best impression of a mole). The moth gets it’s name from the markings on the wing, apparently just like on of the letters of a foreign alphabet. Don’t ask me to name the language – Jewish, Hebrew, Yiddish – I have no idea!

Whilst the above are next to useless for ID purposes, I’m enjoying taking some portrait style pictures of the moths. The Muslin is on the left, I think it’s the same fellow as last night, and one of the Early Greys is on the right.

After rummaging about on next to the moth trap before taking the moths off to the undergrowth I noticed this moth hiding on the brickwork next to the trap. I’m pretty sure it an Engrailed, please let me know if you think otherwise.

Early Grey 7

Hebrew Character 2

Muslin 1

Engrailed 1

Muslin Moth

After the previous evening’s dismal (and typical) moth trap catch of nil I had reasonably low hopes for last night’s haul (night of 3rd April). Luckily whilst the glass was half empty the moth trap was half full (well not quite but far from empty). After the Early Grey’s appearance the previous weekend another three of them turned up, a Chestnut appeared too and more interestingly, and a new species for me, the Muslin Moth.

My identification book reckoned that this should be around in May-June, but it also described it as being unmistakeable. I’d agree that it is pretty distinctive and checked to a book about Warwickshire moths and sometimes they do pop up earlier in the year, sometimes even late March.

Let me know if you think it’s something else!

Not Good Thursday night for moths but a Good Friday

My parents have come down to visit over Easter for a week or so. It’s a good excuse to go out and do some sight-seeing. In the morning, before heading out for the day, I’d checked the moth trap, hoping to find a few moths. None, it must have been a bit too cold and a bit too windy for them, seems like the spring has not arrived properly yet.

I dragged everyone over to Stratford to have a wander along at the side of the canal and to visit Stratford Butterfly Farm. The butterfly farm was up first as the rain had started when we arrived in Stratford. It was boiling hot in there and there were loads of tropical butterflies to see. My dad proved to be a good lure for one:

The one below was great, most of the wing surfaces were see through.

Still not much in the way of butterflies around, though there were plenty of swans keen to eat bread at the side of the canal.