Just a quick hello, the move went well but too much to do & too little time to do it. I did a moth trap last Friday only 2 days after we finished moving, there over 250 moths & I'm still sorting them. This is one that came to the window soon after we moved, just to whet your appetites.
It's called a Brown China-mark.
Sorry it's a quick visit, will pop in again in a few days!
P.S This is the link to my previous moth thread http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/f/13609/t/111255.aspx
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
Can I throw this one to the crowd??
No moth trap tonight as wet & mizzy here again but this one on my kitchen window at an inhospitable time of the morning (yawn!) ... was quite a challenge to get pics too (as you will see)
Underside (how does one take a pic through a window at night?)
Topside
TIA!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Only just realised that I'd posted this in the 'Insects' thread by mistake
Set up my home cobbled moth trap for third time tonight & have so far drawn a big fat nothing ... can't have too bright a light as too near neighbours (& still not very popular 'cos of feeding the birds!) but I live in hope of some nocturnal visitors ... in the meantime ... return to lounge to see a largish moth flying around which looks promising! Cue mad scramble to turn off halogen uplighters before it can fry itself & then frantic antics to capture in butterfly home (in which I reared Painted Ladies last year) ... I had bagged a beautiful Silver Y Moth, one of my favourites
Hi Wendy,Well done on getting a few moths around. The top one is a Pale Oak Beauty, great shots, it's not easy on a window!!
If you use a lamp like I do in my Ikea basket, in place of a 15W UV bulb you can use a Blacklight bulb which is used a lot if you are leaving your trap out in the wild & don't want it nicked!! It's virtually invisible to people, so I'm told, but attracts the moths. So it won't upset your neighbours. There may be other versions of it that will go in an ordinary socket. The UV bulbs are used in printing & insect killers too, so there are a lot of places you can look for them. I spent weeks in the winter looking at all the different light sources, but only on French sites.
There is a really interesting item about Loch garten moths here www.rspb.org.uk/.../moth-ing-to-see-here.aspx I haven't been on the facebook bit though, as i'm not on facebook! LOL!
Many thanks for all the info H ... do like getting these new species in my garden ... more 'buggified' today too with OH spotting this beauty which I believe is a Small Skipper
Teeny thing it is
Good job it crops well
Then a neighbour called to say 'what's this eating my Geraniums' & I came back with these two Vapourer Moth larvae who are residing in my butterfly house, want to see them spin silk cocoon!
Odd looking things they are too!!
Hazel C said:in place of a 15W UV bulb you can use a Blacklight bulb
Think I might try dipping my socks in sugar solution too ... can spare some now it's Summer!! Lol
Hazel C said:Loch garten moths here
Vapourer moths are beautiful, it'll be interesting to see their cacoons.
I think your butterfly is a Large Skipper.
Blacklight bulbs are bright to moths but not to people!! I'm not sure on the comparison between LED's & Watts, will try & find some info for you. Do you have a lead light like you use in a attic or garage that you can plug a bulb in?
Hazel C said:I think your butterfly is a Large Skipper.
Wickes do a reasonably priced inspection lamp with conventional bayonet fitting & I have checked that 11W energy saving size = 60W in old money & my 24 LED's = 89 Lumens whereas ""Replace a 60W bulb with an energy-saving bulb that gives you about 800 lumens."" That should get some Moths in a frenzy!! Lol
Gets very technical don't it?
It is very complicated, the main thing is to try & get a UV bulb. I started off with leaving on an outside light on a wall with a 60W bulb & used to get around a dozen moths. I switched to 15W UV flourescent tube & in the same period got 50 to 100 moths! The mercury vapour bulb (125W) that I use now also gives off UV & they attract even more, but definately not suitable for anywhere with neighbours!