Friday 10 June 2011

Waspish remarks

It isn't only moths which end up in my light trap. Bees are regulars, especially what you might call the 'mini-bumble' kind. So are wasps, millions of midges and one occasion a very angry sparrow. Angry but well-fed. I also get a steady range of oddities - to me - such as this alarming-looking creature. If anyone knows what it is, I'd be grateful for the info. Some sort of ichneumon wasp? Stop press: all is revealed, by the noble Worm. See Comments, and shudder...



Meanwhile, here below is another candidate for the Most Boring title, in what hometown America would probably call the Pee-Wee class.


I once had the good fortune to be in Hannibal, Missouri, on 4 July, and the wonderfully homespun parade included an impressive turnout of Pee-Wees, successors to Mark Twain who grew up in the place (which is so far away from tourism land, that it has hardly any of the Stratford/Haworth shrine element to its everyday makeup). I have absolutely no idea which micro-moth this is. Sorry. Again, if any learned reader can come to my aid...



Finally, we all leave our slips showing from time to time, and this Bright-Line Brown-Eye moth is no exception. Satisfyingly, there is also a Brown-Line Bright-Eye moth but they are rarer and I have yet to see one here.

4 comments:

worm said...

Hi Martin - did some extreme googling and found the ichneumon wasp to be Ophion obscuratus, which - horror of horrors - "lay their eggs in the caterpillars of various Noctuid moths." eek!

MartinWainwright said...

Hey! Well done! They are apparently a very good way of getting rid of clothes moths. But who'd want one of those in their chest of drawers...

Thanks v much!

M

Jane said...

hi Martin, Its definatly boring looking but its shimmery/speckly looking greyness is a redeeming feature :-)

MartinWainwright said...

This is definitely the right attitude J. It's also got rather attractive front legs.
Have a lovely weekend, one and all

M