Friday 20 July 2012

Creamy


Ouch! I wonder what this is - some sort of Wainscot? - and how did it get that nasty knock? It looks new to the trap so I'm busy probing my moths Bible but haven't identified it yet. (But someone else has, brilliantly...see below)


Nicely matching it, is this Scalloped Oak which crept into its eggbox cone to avoid early morning drizzle. And look at the luscious creature, below: a Purple Thorn, I think, although it could be an Early one; both have second generations on the wing at this time of year in spite of the latter's name.



There was plenty more in the trap last night so stand by for further instalments. But I've had to spend a bit of extra time rescuing some of the moths from a minipond in the trap bowl on little lifeboats made from scraps of eggbox, so I'll stop here for now. No drownings, I'm glad to say.

Update: and now that moth. Guess what, it's a Sallow Oak too, the same as the one creeping into the eggbox cone but clearly a lot less shy. Thanks very much to David - see Comments - for cracking yet another Wainwright-baffling conundrum. If you look closely, you can see the shadowy band and vague markings which are so clear in the second picture. But what clobbered it? 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You've pretty much answered your question on the incredibly worn moth, it is indeed Scalloped Oak.

The Purple Thorn is beautiful.

Dave

MartinWainwright said...

Thanks so much David. My ancestors lived in a street in Hunslet called Who cud'a thowt it? and that's what I say to this. Hawkeye! Much appreciated, as ever