Bzzzzz

The most interesting thing in the moth trap this morning was this enormous fly. I quailed at the sight of it, much like my granddaughter who will fearlessly take three hawk moths on her finger but furiously demands parental action if she sees a fly.

I think that this is a horsefly, a species notorious for making a ragged wound, unlike the deft syringe of a mosquito, so that infection can follow. I have never suffered from this - as opposed to the utter evil of the diminutive Blandford Fly - but then again, I've never seen a horsefly this big.  I'm sorry not to have put in my usual fingertip for scale, but I didn't dare put a finger within biting range. The micro moth may help or the eggbox mould. Anyway, it was BIG.

Among the moths, there was a handy pair of Riband Waves, above, showing the difference between the main species, the one with the ribbon shadowed in, and form remutata which lacks the shadow. A somewhat similar moth but with more angled wings was clinging to the trap bowl (and thus making my usually clumsy photography even worse with the dark but reflective background). On this front, our digital camera seems to be giving up the ghost and, when I've saved up, I hope to get a better one. The moth, meanwhile, is a Small Scallop.

The wonderful moth frenzy over the Euro 16 football final continues online, and I was drawn in yesterday to talk to a very entertaining programme on Talksport. It reminded me cosily of the old days of the Noel Edmonds Show on Radio One, with lovely Brian Perkins at 'Perkins Grange'. It is most enjoyable talking about something which I understand backwards - moths - to an audience which is primarily interested in things I know nothing about - sport. If you have time, you can hear the podcast here:
http://dneilmusic14.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/cristiano-ronaldo-moth-explained-on.html