Friday 17 October 2014

New, new, new and new



It's easy to think at this time of year that the moth season is over and that the worsening weather and darker mornings mean that the lamp should be packed away. Last night was an antidote to that. Lovely mild weather brought four newcomers for the year to nestle in the eggboxes and give me a surprise in the morning.


One of them was the Sprawler shown in the top picture, a moth whose name conjures up a fop from Downton Abbey sliding back in a large armchair with a glass of port in his hand. The authorities say that the name comes from the caterpillar of the species which has a habit of jerking back its head and front segments when alarmed. This isn't what I call sprawling, but there we are.


The second newcomer was the large Feathered Thorn above, a fine Autumn moth with excellent antennae; I'm sorry that the continuing absence of my little camera stand Miranda means that my focus isn't as hot as it should be.



Thirdly there were four November or possibly Autumnal moths, the modest and sober Jane Eyre-like ones just above, and finally a very richly coloured Red-green Carpet - sorry once more for the lack of definition in the pic below. Update: actually on checking, I find that R-g Cs of an earlier brood came to see me in the late Spring. Sorry, but the others are definitely first for 2014.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Snap. Exactly the same moths here this week apart from the November, which has yet to show up.

Martin Wainwright said...

Excellent - and hope you have had M du Js too

all warm wishes

M