Cloudy Custard and Hallowee'en Moths

 

I've mentioned the Clouded Yellow butterfly several times in the last month as it became clear that 2026 is indeed an 'invasion year' for the species, an irregular occurrence which sees thousands of the beautiful creatures cross the Channel in yellow 'clouds' and disperse far inland. I saw them first beside the Thames between Tadpole Bridge and Bablock Hythe and later in Kidlington's Stratfield Brake wild park, then back beside the Thames near Kelmscott, the venerable old home of William Morris. They are richly bright; custard with wings.

Now they have reached our garden and I am overjoyed. This is our first new butterfly species in 13 years, bringing our grand total to 26, the others being: Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Painted Lady, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet,Speckled Wood, Small Heath, Small Copper, Common Blue, Holly Blue, Brown Argus, Brimstone, Small White, Large White, Green-veined White, Orange-tip, Brown Hairstreak, Black Hairstreak, Small Skipper, Large Skipper and Essex Skipper. Not too bad, out of the UK's total of 60.

William Morris's shade is apparently also pleased; when we visited the lovely old church of St John the Baptist at Inglesham last week, also by the Thames near Lechlade, a Peacock butterfly circled in shafts of dusty sunlight above the carved wood and stone dating from the 13th century onwards and preserved from the Victorian 'restorers' by Morris who rowed the five miles up the Thames from Kelmscott to keep an eye on things.  We will be lucky if Clouded Yellows establish themselves here but warmer weather and their fondness for clover, lucerne and other herbage crops favoured by modern farming may help.  In the US, the species is actually known as the Alfalfa butterfly. 

In a different part of my entomological life, I have been puzzling over the ID of this alarming-looking beast, which I think is a Deep Brown Dart in spite of iRecord's screening robot telling me repeatedly that this would be out of season. I persist, because an awful lot of moths have been 'out of season' during the unusual weather we have had this year.  In one sense, indeed, this one is particularly in-season as we are approaching Hallowe'en and - eeek! - moths have been enlisted to help scary outings this year along, with the usual pumpkins, spiders and headless ghosts.

Here are some examples.  I'm going to take a positive view and buy a moth curtain to attract Trick-or-Treaters to our fascinating hobby, maybe showing them my hairy moth, pictured again below, as well as the sinister Box Tree Moth and the Black Rustic, the Darth Vader of the tribe. 

Finally, here's another spooky image for you.  Ghostly goings-on in our flowerbeds?  Ghouls on the lawn? No, its just the moth trap's mercury vapour bulb shining through our bathroom window's condensation after my shower.