People talk about crime and the fear of crime. In my experience the latter is much more common than the former. So it is with rain and the threat of rain. It is the latter which is keeping my light trap out of action at the moment. While the weather settles down, I've been checking back through recent records and found this Common Footman, checking out the sell-by date on its egg carton (does it like the combo of grey and yellow which reflects its own, I wonder quasi-scientifically?). It's a quaint moth, because of its habit of standing to attention, pencil thin, when at rest. It looks a lot bigger when you disturb it and it flutters off. The name comes from the moth's resemblance to those poor flunkeys in neat uniforms who stand behind the table in TV versions of Jane Austen listening to the likes of Keira Knightley gabbing away about their friends and relations. I can see it. Can you?
There's also a Buff Footman which looks more washed out, like my smaller (and more blurred) photograph. I suspect, however, that this is another Common Footman as the Buff variety tends to fly further south, following the instructions of the lunatic Policy Exchange report, just published. Jax will tell us in due course...
People talk about crime and the fear of crime. In my experience the latter is much more common than the former. So it is with rain and the threat of rain. It is the latter which is keeping my light trap out of action at the moment. While the weather settles down, I've been checking back through recent records and found this Common Footman, checking out the sell-by date on its egg carton (does it like the combo of grey and yellow which reflects its own, I wonder quasi-scientifically?). It's a quaint moth, because of its habit of standing to attention, pencil thin, when at rest. It looks a lot bigger when you disturb it and it flutters off. The name comes from the moth's resemblance to those poor flunkeys in neat uniforms who stand behind the table in TV versions of Jane Austen listening to the likes of Keira Knightley gabbing away about their friends and relations. I can see it. Can you? 
There's also a Buff Footman which looks more washed out, like my smaller (and more blurred) photograph. I suspect, however, that this is another Common Footman as the Buff variety tends to fly further south, following the instructions of the lunatic Policy Exchange report, just published. Jax will tell us in due course...
4 comments:
It looks like a Buff Footman to me too Martin - they are in the county, they can be localised and we certainly catch them in Scarborough. As to the Svenssons/Copper Underwing... they aren't easy to tell apart and may need reference to their wedding tackle for certainty.
Don't all volunteer at once :o/
Jax
Excellent - many thanks Guru. I think it's a Buff Footman. The Ultimate Guru Charlie Fletcher will have to decide in due course.
No I am not going to examine them in detail...
Ah no, Charlie is a Senior Guru but the Ultimate Guru, also known as the "Great God of Mothing" is Harry Beaumont :o)
Goodness, and there's Terry Whitaker as well. Yorkshire is Moth Central
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