Saturday 1 October 2011

Bright pink rabbits

Morning all! And White Rabbits to you to mark the first of October. Actually here in usually rainy olde Englande it will be tan or bright pink rabbits because we are having the most wonderful Indian summer. Temperatures up to 30C and phenomena such as cowslips coming back into flower under the impression that it is already Spring. If only.

The moths may be interesting too. I've got to be up and about on useful household tasks, so am breaking my usual habits and posting quite a gallery of pics from last night's trap. I will name them at leisure but, who knows, one of my expert Commentors may be fluttering by online and do some of the job for me. Hint.

Have a lovely sunny day! Here are the moths:

Green Carpet

Red-green Carpet

Spruce Carpet and micro friend


Just to interrupt the succession, so it doesn't look too tedious; isn't that last one lovely? This gallery will also help to remind me that the end of September and beginning of October was very lovely and very mothy. On we go... To the right, a Red-line Quaker

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Pink-barred Sallow

Rosy Rustic (not looking that rosy, mind)

Now another little pause, this time to say that there were several of most of these species in the trap and also a great many wasps. Our big cooker apple tree was nearby and the wasps, and some moths, love the fermenting windfalls. I think that this one to the left is a Square Spot Rustic. Next is definitely my pick of the catch; is it a Grey or Dark Dagger? But then it's got that interesting bit of brown. Ah, I've just been Googling and think it's a Dark Dagger of the form rosea named by the eminent 19th and 20th century entomologist Mr Tutt. But no, I'm wrong - thanks to Bill D in Comments I now know that it's a Blair's Shoulder Knot - one of no fewer than three UK moths named after a GP who had the good fortune to live on the Isle of Wight where such novelties often arrive.

Blair's Shoulder Knot

Copper or Svensson's Copper Underwing

Green-brindled Crescent f.capucina - rather battered.

Chestnut

Wasn't that last one nice? And now a couple dozing on the outside of the trap and a good old Common Marbled Carpet to end up with. Sorry this has been a bit of a marathon.

Autumnal moths

Common Marbled Carpet

2 comments:

Billy Dykes said...

That looks like quite a catch.. I trapped last night and got 4 moths!The 'dagger' moth that your having trouble with is a Blair's Shoulder-knot. I didn't want to go through and ID the others on the fear that you already knew them??

Bill

MartinWainwright said...

Brilliant, thanks so much

don't hesitate to ID if you have time (he said mercilessly...)

I'll change the post re the BSK and also Penny has just noticed that I said eater apple when it's a cooker and tree shouldn'ty have three Es

thanks ever so, sorry you only had 4 - hope the warmth brings out more soon

warm wishes

M