Thursday 23 August 2012

Move over, Darling

Lots and lots of moths in the trap today; assorted Yellow Underwings by the dozen, masses of Beauties and Waves and a goodly crop of micros. And, some other insects, notably flies and wasps which were exploring the eggboxes when I arrived, albeit in a somewhat groggy fashion. I mean they were groggy, not me.



Here's one, a fly which boldly approached a slumbering Lychnis or Campion - help! Which is it? Penny and I are baffled; she tends to Lychnis and I'm inclined to Campion - then marched across leaving the moth completely undisturbed.



Even more dramatic, here's a wasp doing the same with a Beautiful Golden Y. It simply clambered across the moth as if it were a little pebble. The moth slept on.


5 comments:

Henry Walker said...

Martin, I've seen wasps, bite through the wings of resting moths and then carry them off to eat or as food to their larvae!

MartinWainwright said...

Goodness! I think mine were too drowsy to try that; but I'll be careful where I put the trap now. We usually have a wasps' nest quite close to where it was last night but there've been hardly any wasps in the trap so far this season - until last night - and I hadn't given the risk any thought.

Gruesome old thing, Nature, isn't she!

All warm wishes

Martin

Stewart said...

Thats a pink Campion Martin. I've never seen Lychnis show any pink at all...

Ray Walton said...

My attention to detail also goes for the Campion.
Interesting how the seasons this year are so far out of sync, when my Moth book says that the FS in the South is May-June; Aug-Sept but further North it is May-June only!

MartinWainwright said...

Thanks so much, specially as I can gloat at Penny now, over the Corn Flakes. I had the same head-scratching over the flight season; one reason why I was uncertain about the Campion though inclined that way. Mind you, my main reason is that I am so poor at identifying moths. I hope that I (and Penny) have got our Sallows right in the latest post.

I appreciate this advice more than I can say.

All warm wishes

Martin