Saturday 14 March 2020

First big party


It's cheering this morning, amid all the gloomy virus news, to report the year's first large gathering of moths in the light trap. Just as the Government moves to ban big gatherings of people, the moths are gaily getting together. Here are the four species which came last night.

Heading this post are Hebrew Characters, all of the three which flew in on a warm night but one with brief but, by the look of it, quite heavy rain which turned the top moth's oak leaf into a little boat. Then below we have one of six Clouded Drabs which were in the eggboxes above a couple of Small Quakers, of which there were seven.


Next, another Clouded Drab which has been in some sort of scrap with either a bird, a bat or a thornbush, and below that a third Clouded Drab on the right and a Common Quaker - one of 15 in the trap - on the left.


Finally, the most interesting new arrival, for me at least: three Twin-spotted Quakers in three different colourways, the ones at the bottom with a Small Quaker (left) and Common Quaker (right). I can't say that this is my favourite time of the year for moths, seeing as how I really go for the bright and colourful ones, but it's nonetheless encouraging to see things picking up.  Let's hear it yet again for the Robinson trap's simple but very effective rain shield. Hooray!


2 comments:

Edward Evans said...

Still not much here. Very cold still though here

Martin Wainwright said...

Hi and sorry for the delay. Hope you start getting more visitors soon - though it's gone very cold and frosty here and I'm not putting the trap out at the moment. Lots of compensation in the beautiful weather and early butterflies around. Hope you and yours are safe and well. All warmest. M.