Friday 24 August 2012

Hello Sallow

I am quick to defend British moths against accusations that they are all small, hairy and brown; and here are two of my allies which flew in last night. I have to admit that they stood out rather in a trap which was well-stocked with, um, small, hairy and brown neighbours. But they weren't the only ones, as the delicate little micro in the first and last pictures shows.


Above, first of all, is a Sallow with its delicate and slightly sulphurous colouring, and then below an Angle-striped Sallow which has richer orange tones. Penny noted that the scientific forename for the Sallow is Xanthia and suggested that this sounds like a character from Just William, an older sister maybe for Violet Elizabeth Bott. The Angle-striped Sallow is called Enargia, which might be the name of the daughter of  someone working in the power industry. Or are we getting too fanciful?


Here's the micro again, below, having reached the summit of its egg cone. I am pretty sure that it is Eudonia mercurella. Eudonia? Would anyone call their daughter that?

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