Ed (the conservation intern) and I have been moth trapping again. Really is a bit like christmas. You got to bed not knowing what you'll get. Will it be the moth equivalent of a shiny new bike? Or just a satsuma and a pair of socks?
To be honest, the quantity of the catch hasn't been huge. But what we have had has been interesting.
This one is a hebrew character. But one that gave us a few issues.
Normally with hebrew characters there is a black 'saddle' shaped mark on the wing. This has a passing resemblance to a letter in the hebrew alphabet, hence the name. But on this one that marking merged into an unusual darker mark above it, giving it a rather different appearance. But a scan through the books revealled all. It is quite a common moth, appreaing right across the country.
Another moth that came to visit was this one
This is the brindled flat-body, so called because it is (oddly enough) very flat. They hatch in the autumn and spend the winter buried away, hibernating. As a result they are one of the early moths of spring. Their caterpillars eat thistles and knapweed.
As the nights get warmer, hopefully we'll have more moths to show you. watch this space!
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.