Tuesday 9 September 2008

The end is nigh

The end of this year's trapping is in sight now. Not because of this Big Bang which scientists are recreating in the Jura mountains tomorrow. Apparently that may end the world altogether, in which case please accept this as a Goodbye. No, in moth terms, the nights are getting colder and the numbers coming to the trap are diminishing. I shall call it a day by the end of September, and also close this journal down until next Spring. That said, small numbers of interesting moths are still arriving, and here are a few. I can't find my moth Bible just at the moment, so I shall update this later on with identifications. But note that the two carpetty moths, particularly the one I take to be a Green Carpet or Green Pug, both have the habit of resting with their tails up, which I commented on several entries below. More research needed, as ever...



Incidentally, the green moth is bathed in an eerie glow because it's getting a bit overcast in the morning now, and I thought a little illumination would help. So I wore a head-torch, a bit like a miner's helmet lamp, while simultaneously juggling eggboxes and the digital camera, perched on its becoming little tripod called Miranda. Given that I was in my dressing gown as well, this must have been an inspiring sight. Luckily there was no one else there to record it.
Now it's much later on and I've been to Kendal and back and have found my Waring, Townsend & Lewington. From this I deduce that the above are: squeezed in the table gap, a Brindled Green. Then, small, a Purple Bar, a Copper Underwing and a July Highflyer. As ever, nice names.

2 comments:

sarah meredith said...

I hate to read of the end of your moth journal for this season. Isn't there something you can continue to blog about in the winter??xxs

MartinWainwright said...

Hi Sarah!

A famous name in the US these days, hem hem...
Excellent to hear from you, as always.
I'm not stopping quite yet, specially as last night was interesting, but I will at the end of the month. I think it's good to have a pause in a blog, maybe. But I will try to find something special to end with, til 2009, for wandering internet surfers to pause and absorb. Love to all the family and from P