When Blotched is a compliment

A favourite moth has winged in, the Blotched Emerald whose rather off-putting name may be accurate but doesn't do justice to its beauty. I am a bit biased because all green moths are lovely to me, ranking only below blue, which is almost unheard-of in UK species, although wonderfully present in our butterflies.

Nearby on a similarly difficult background for my iPhone camera was a much more common visitor, the Brimstone moth, and there was a third nicely-coloured and patterned arrival on the opposite side of the black plastic bowl, a Blood-vein. You can see the reason for its name.

In the eggboxes were what I first thought were two confusing alike species, one of which I recognised at once from its enormous Pinocchio palps as the very well-named Snout. I thought that the others, with their more modest noses, but I cannot find anything which fits the bill. So are they unsnouted Snouts?  I will have to ask for help on the Upper Thames Moths blog. Update: Dave Wilton once again saves the day by saying: Yes, Snouts can lose their snouts in the sort of battering to which moths are exposed. Many thanks.

In rather similar colours, here is a Least Minor, a dear little moth, and an extremely narrow colleague, the Scarce Footman which is not really scarce in this part of the world.

I was mowing the lawn yesterday when I got seriously delayed by the delights of photographing a White Plume, a moth which also features on the composite picture of this blog, a signal honour. It is tiny but with very long and interesting legs and wonderfully delicate, feathery plumes.  I chased it around from grass stem to grass stem, hampered in my efforts to focus properly by the way my glasses slip off my nose.

I think that today's micro moth is Apotomis turbidana but I will have to check on Upper Thames again. Update: Dave Wilton suggests Hedya nubiferana which would be new for me.  And finally we have a very neat and slimline wasp - passing wasp experts, I'd be grateful for help. Update: Aril in Comments kindly suggests a Tiger Cranefly - excellent name - and that looks right to me. Thank you!