The exceedingly pretty Kitten twins are about at the moment - the Sallow Kitten on the left and the Poplar Kitten on the right. Their caterpillars share the oddness of the Puss Moth larva which I featured here two posts ago - frightening little faces and a pair of whips on their tail to flick off parasitic ichneumon wasps. Their names indicate their foodplants, which are both abundant round here, and their colouring is just lovely. Welcome both!
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| Poplar |
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| Sallow |
With them in the eggboxes and on the transparent cowl were several examples of that deceptively modest moth, the Yellow-tail. Apparently virginal white on first look, with just a couple of little beige markings, it shoots up its concealed yellow tail when disturbed. Here we are:
Another composite photo follows of the very large micro Calamotropha paludella, so big that it can sometimes be confused with the Silky Wainscot macro moth. Its large palps give it away. The other micro looking at my camera with puzzlement is a Spindle Ermine.
And now a third and final composite; one of Carpet moths. These grateful insects are regulars in the trap from April to October and last night saw these - two Red Twin-spots, one much fresher than the other, and a Common.
Hwk moths are still flying in; two Elephants today and this heroically battered Poplar. As you can see, he was revving up to leave when I took my photo at about 7.15am. I was much-alarmed when he whirred off because the robin and blackbird which dog my trap examinations every morning where nearby. But he made it to safety.
Purely for their loveliness, here are some of the other 2-300 moths which overnighted here: a Gold Spot, which was as keen to go as the Poplar Hawk, next to one of scores of Mother-of-Pearl micros, and then a delightfully-patterned quartet - from top left clockwise: Dusky Sallow, two slightly different Marbled Greens and a Marbled Beauty.
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