Saturday 21 September 2013

Little people



Welcome to the weekend - and so far as the blog is concerned, to Micro Morning. The take in the trap was modest last night - about 35 moths - but they included a goodly number of the littlies, the 1627 species of micro moth to be found in the UK.


We were in Cirencester yesterday and bought some cards in a bookshop which advertised itself as 'tiny and independent'. This could be the family motto of the micros, or maybe they could share Rutland's; the smallest county in England boldly proclaims: Multum in parvo. Check out the Light Brown Apple moth in the top picture with the acorn cup for scale to see if you agree that there's much in little..

Light Brown Apple moth - the trap was under an apple tree

I have a train journey to take later today, and I will pore over my micro moth Bible then. But here's a selection from the trap, plus today's winner of the Pink Eggbox Award, a very pretty (but macro) Sallow.

Um... Update: much pondering makes me think that this is Acleris aspersana
albeit a little late in the season

Large Plume - its wings unfurl like umbrellas

Er... Update" Many thanks to ace Guardian Country Diarist Phil Gates in Comments 
whose suggestion that this is a Nettle Tap (Anthophila fabriciana) is, I am sure, correct

Ur again, with my famous acorn cup scale

Pretty on pink - the Sallow

2 comments:

Phil said...

Hi martin,

I wonder if 'er' is a nettle tap? - there's been a large emergence of them in our neck of the woods - they'r all over the late-flowering hogweed.

It's shaping up to be a lovely autumn here - commas on the Michaelmas daisies this morning.

kind regards,

Phil

MartinWainwright said...

Thanks very much Phil - I'm sure you're right. I'm trying to improve...

all warmest

Martin