A few more visitors from recent days - ones I've been puzzling over in vain, so I finally turned to Jax of Yorkshire Butterfly Conservation (see link to the left, above). She's kindly identified them for me as a Marbled Beauty, above and very well-named, a Clouded Silver and a Bordered White (the nearest one on the right with the silver streak on its brown wings).
I should have got the last one, on account of its butterfly-habit of resting with its wings folded above its body, which is described in Waring, Townsend and Lewington. But in typical journalist's fashion, my eye skimmed only over the pictures of its topwings, which as you can see from the micro-pic,
look completely different (and account for the moth's name). Fear not, I am learning...
5 comments:
Martin I an up at dawn and back from walking the dogs in the cool air. How does this work? http://tinyurl.com/mq2voo
In the fall my place on the Mississippi coast is where the northern humming birds throng waiting for thier long flight to central America. I have five feeders on my side porch and they swarm like bees, the air filled with buzzing. One can hold ones finger next to the feeder and they will perch on it readily - the most miniscule little weight almost seeming lighter than the downdraft wind from thier wings because that seemed more substantial than thier body weight. The little toes grip with such a feeling of tinyness.
I do that a couple times a day. During the hurricanes they feed throughout - in 100 mph winds and lashing rain they go to the feeder in the house lee - not feeding because of weather is not something they can do and survive. That that most unsubstantial creature can navigate a hurricane just awed me - but now I know them for the tough little birds they are. Always fighting they fly full speed into an interloper like rams battling and fly chest to chest battling with thier tiny beaks; thier wings beating together with audible clicking. And thier tiny chirps of rage and anger.
I live in what is virtually a nature reserve, 40 acres of woods with one other house, a salt water bayou along one side.
here is one in a hurricane from my side porch, http://tinyurl.com/nktzkj
Dorry those are absolutely WONDERFUL pictures! I am in the Guardian's Manchester office (happy memories of the great old Manchester Guardian) and my colleague Helen is also awed by them.
May I use them on the blog? (assuming I can just drag them off Flickr on to my desk top? Let me know, no rush
Your surroundings look remarkable and rather bear out what I said at the beginning of the cow post on CiF about the American as opposed to the English landscape!
They're busy discussing sheep on the CiF thread now, but all very good naturedly compared to some of the spitefulness which, alas, you can get on there.
Thanks ever so much again and all warm wishes and to the Lab. I'm glad you are a dawn riser. Me too.
M
Feel free although my pictures on flicker can only be accessed by the link I posted - I would like anyone to use them (it would be flattering) Here is a group shot of 9. http://tinyurl.com/lhd5lk
buzzing the feeders. There will be twice that amount commonly but spread out amongst four or five feeders. I have the hanging baskets back up so the weather is just a storm or post hurricane. (we had two hurricanes last year)
Here is walking the dogs in the post hurricane road in front of my house http://tinyurl.com/ls74t8
Note how the chihuahua is a bit disconcerted, they hate water, but Flora the lab is at home. My wife and I love walking in the bath tub warm waters - anything less than neck deep if the current is not raging.
The dogs have such huge inhibitions against defecating in the house (My house is on 13 foot tall pilings) or porches they will hold it for days - then we walk at that dream like pace as Flora swims and the weasel dog is carried to high land and they get relief.
Hi Martin
Know exactly what you mean, I beat myself half to death trying to identify some of the little blighters,. Still beats going insane without a reason
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