Birthday magic

It's always a big day for me when the year's first hawk moth arrives, and this season has lived up to expectations. Although the weather continues unpredictable and mostly poor,  the grandchildren had an answer to this.

It was my birthday on Tuesday and we were down in London helping to look after them - three of them, now; it's going to be a job for life. The older two gave me lovely cards, both with a mothy theme, and suggested that I put them in the trap where their beauty would shine out amid the eggboxes and the dreary weather and attract interesting visitors.

"Put them in the moth trap straight away when you get back - even before you wash your hands," said the younger one, whose devotion to covid rules is tremendous. Penny and I thought for a while that he must have an amazing number of friends because he is always singing 'Happy Birthday to you.' We should have realised that he is following Government instructions to sing the song twice when you wash your hands.

Anyway, the cards did attract moths: two Poplar Hawks - although I have to admit that one of them was on the grass outside the trap. I don't think that this has ever happened to me before with a hawk moth, although plenty of other species are either content nearby or scared to go in. 

It was surprising that the moth, above, had not been noticed by birds although it was very obvious to the human eye. The key was probably sitting entirely still and perhaps the ragged and slightly leaf-like structure of its wings.

It's also interesting to contrast the moths in these pictures of them on the cards. I need to check if the different tail on the top one is the claspers of a male or the receptor of a female. If the first, then they have got the right gender of the cards as well.

I always check back to previous 'firsts' with the hawk moths and I had to go all the way to 2013, our first year here, to find a debut later than this - just two days: 22 May. My other records, from 2014, are: May 2, 1, 12, 6, 7 and 10. Last year, which was notably warm albeit still with some late frosts,  saw an exceptionally early 'first' on April 26 and by this time I had already recorded a further five hawk species; Lime, Eyed, Pine, Elephant and Small Elephant, leaving only the Privet and Hummingbird among my regulars still to come. 

Things remain quiet otherwise. The only other arrivals were three Muslin moths, one of them with the Poplar Hawk on the second card above, and the Rustic Shoulder-knot below.