The Gypsy Moth is an unmistakeable fixture in my annual calendar of reliable visitors and I worship once again its tremendous antennae which are among the best in the moths' world. Readers will maybe recall that antennae are the one gift granted to moths but denied to humans which I hopelessly envy. I would love a pair.
At rest, the Gypsy more resembles an Old Lady moth with its big brown, black and grey overcoat swept grandly around it. Not everyone likes it as much as me; when it established a toehold in London in 1995 after years of extinction as a resident UK species - just a few migrants recorded annually - it was subjected to an eradication campaign by the agriculture ministry because of its caterpillars' fondness for very large amounts of leaves from broad-leafed trees.
The men from the ministry were on a loser; the species spreads via the wind blowing its tiny larvae uncontrollably all over the place. The catties' tastes are so catholic that once they have landed, they almost always find a foodplant nearby. I have been getting the moths for nearly ten years now and don't except to say goodbye to them any time soon.
The moth is more famous in the wider world as the name of a nimble 1920s biplane which evolved into the Tiger Moth military trainer, beloved of fictional heroes such as Biggles as well as real-life flyers. The De Havilland aircraft company used the name 'moth' because the wings could be folded back like a moth's (horizontally and not vertically like a butterfly's). Gipsy with an 'i' rather than 'y' was the name of the improved engine which replaced an earlier and less powerful model called Cirrus.
It is a good season for big moths generally, including the Privet above, with its wings spread out and at rest, and the Poplar and Eyed below. Lots of people are also having delectable visits from hovering Hummingbird Hawk moths too, especially if they grow lavender.
The impressive Oak Eggar paid a second call and I got this nice underwing snap through the cowl, second pic below, of a Black Arches, one of my top favourites.
Many, many other moths further down the size scale are arriving too, including the Brimstone (outside the trap on our rather burned-out lawn), Willow Beauty, Least Carpet and Coronet.
Also a Straw Dot, a neat little macro, and its lookalike micro, Udea ferrugalis or the Rusty Pearl, which is very similar in size, a pill-shaped Dingy Footman (actually not dingy at all) and a delicate Latticed Heath, showing how the black and white pattern extends to the moth's body in the form of stripes. Following my mention above the moths folding their wings flat on their backs, note that this is one of a handful which behave as ifthey were butterflies.
Finally a Lychnis, a lively Copper Underwing (they are unparalleled scurriers-about in the trap), a Yellow Shell in very good condition, a Cloaked Minor, a White-spotted pug on a nicely-coloured eggbox and a handsome Grey or Dark Dagger.
Oh, and a bewildered young blackbird which fortunately survived one of those collisions which happen rather a lot on sunny days when your house has large windows.
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