Tuesday 23 September 2008

View from below

During the course of this journal, I've managed to get one or two odd angles on moths to vary the usual form of photographing them from above. There was the Elephant Hawk emerging from an eggbox hole with a startled look on its face, and a lacewing ditto. Here's an unusual (for me) study of a couple of trap visitors seen from below, thanks to their courtesy in perching on the transparent collar which surrounds the mercury vapour light bulb. I can't say they are specially enlightening, except that you can see the positioning of their agile feet. These are vulnerable, and it's not uncommon to find a moth with one or more missing. It doesn't appear to affect them unduly. On that score, have you ever examined the feet of London pigeons? On second thoughts, and especially if you have a sensitive nature, don't.
Here too is a 'transparent' view of a moth which preferred the relative freedom and luxury of one of our lampshades to the trap. The delicacy even of the most common and, in this case, rather dowdy, governessy, even Jane Eyreish types of moth, is always a delight.

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