The female Emperor - Empress, I guess - in the top two pictures is the star of the show and she is now snoozing in our shed with the doors and windows open in the hope that her super-powerful pheromones will attract a mate or mates. This well-known phenomenon of 'assembling', which can lure males from over a mile away, has worked brilliantly in the past. One Empress became a great-grandmother (posthumously) after breeding in our second year in Oxfordshire.
It was great to find a Streamer on the moth cowl, left below the Empress, and the Swallow Prominents on the lamp wire in my second composite picture - two standard SPs at either end and a Lesser SP in the middle. Also shown here are: bottom right in the first composite, a Muslin Moth; bottom row in the second composite: Brindled Beauty, Pebble Prominent and V-Pug; and below, clockwise from top left: Chocolate-tip, yet-to-be-IDed micro (help always appreciated), Least Black Arches and Early Grey.
This is a great collection to arrive on the birthday of one of my three talented and lovely nieces. Happy Birthday Annie! And love to all the bouncing family
2 comments:
never knew that emperors fly at this time of year! Only ever seen them in late summer
Hi there - yes, I was rather surprised when we moved down here, both by their timing and their abundance; they are downright common in the Thames Vally. I had always had them as day-flyers in places such as the North York Moors. I'm just about to post the exciting sequel to this one's visit. All warmest M
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