We are doing a moth survey from of our garden this year for a study in the département, but while waiting for the moth traps to arrive I've been leaving an outside light on & photographing all the visitors. Since then I decided to start the "sugar trap". I cooked up a litre of cheap wine & 1 Kg of sugar & put 2 natural ropes in the mixture & left to soak for a few days.
Then last night I suspended the ropes between 2 trees in the orchard (photo taken this morning)
Then while Ron was watching the Golf on TV, I was nipping in & out to see if there were any moths having a tipple. The first time I went out there were 2 who stayed until I went to bed & were gone at 5am when I went out to see if there were any more. I was really chuffed as I didn't think I'd get much.
This is a Herald :
.
This is Angle Shades
You can see they are both eating, I only hope they didn't have a hangover this morning!! I've left the ropes out so maybe I'll get something else tonight.
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
So pleased to be of help HinGE ... helping others whilst educating myself 'cos I didn't know either!! Never too old to learn! Lol
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Amazing collection of moths, Hazel. I do admire your dedication in painstakingly identifying them all. The Lappet is a stunner - brilliant camouflage.
____________________________________________________________________
Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Thanks TJ, it's certainly a lot of work, probably more than I expected, but I'm still thrilled when i go out & see what's there so I'm still enjoying it. These are from the 22 July & the stunners were 2 Small Elephant Hawkmoths, beautiful,
There was also a Pine Hawkmoth a new one again but not so flashy,
a Scalloped Oak,
a Green Silver-lines which I found hidden under the rim of the trap, which I had to hold with one hand & took the photo with the other, not easy !! I'm not sure of the English name as this may be a different sub-species??
a Shark moth,
Quite a flashy Pyralidae, Actenia brunnealis,
& finally a micromoth, Cydia triangulella, I think,
Thanks for looking
The Elephant is stunning - Moth names are so descriptive but I have only just worked out after all these years why such a beautiful coloured moth was called that!
Caroline in Jersey
Cin J
Come on then Caroline, don't just keep us in suspense, Why?
I had to google it HinGE ... so now I also know why!!
In theory it is due to the 'pillar looking a bit like an elephant trunk but when I was looking at H's photo I suddenly was this….. with huge apologies to H for the poor drawing skills
I blame the heat…...
Just found this vid on YT
www.youtube.com/watch
Another lovely collection, Hazel. The Small Hefferlump Hawk moth is a stunner.
I had to laugh at your interpretation of how it got its name, CinJ.
Great vid, WB. It does look like an elephant's trunk.
That's brilliant Caroline, you have an amazing imagination!! Perhaps I should have looked at it up the other way!