Saturday 3 May 2014

Brrrr...


What a difference a drop in temperature makes. We had a visiting moth expert come for lunch today along with his entomological grandson, and hoped for a grand, joint examination of treasures in the eggboxes. The examination took place but the moth population numbered just two, this Muslin moth - note the antennae out again; I think this is the standard behaviour of male Muslin moths when asleep, albeit very unusual when compared to other moths - and the Hebrew Character below (on a cousin's beautiful hand whose whorls would delight Scotland Yard's fingerprinting department).


The expert was very kind about the dearth and was cheered to find this non-moth insect shortly afterwards on one of our ferns.


Later, P and I went to examine an ancient patch of undisturbed scrubby woodland called Weavely Furze which is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and survived the 17th century enclosures as a place for the poor of the parish to collect 'furze' or firewood. It's a heck of a trek from the two villages in the parish; but maybe sights such as this female Orange Tip cheered up our ancestors as they foraged.

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