Happy New Year all!
Same thread as before but a whole year of moth hunting ahead of us. You don't need lots of expensive equipement to set up light traps, a budget of around £20 should be enough, have a look on the old thread HERE or ask again, there is always (almost) someone who knows. Wendy is our surrogate mum & has a house & shed full of caterpillars & pupas & breeding adults!
The moths are still coming to feed on the rope in the garden. All you need is to dissolve 0,5Kg of sugar in 0,5 litres of wine, by gently heating up & stirring. Then pour the mixture into an old pan & put in a natural fibre rope or cord. (Don't put the ends in as it gets messy). Leave to soak a day & hang in the garden from a tree or bush or between posts. Then go back just after dark & see who's feeding. I tend to pop out about every half hour until bedtime. Then the fun starts as you try to get the camera settings right for the photos. The rope tends to work for about 3 days & then needs redipping during the day before the 4th night. Here are some "library pictures"
My rope is now a lot shorter as I only have 1 tree & just loop it from one low branch, it needs to be about 4ft from the ground. Here is one from 30 December, a Chestnut
Everone is welcome!
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
A Silkmoth?
Might be ... Might not be! Lol
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Ooh you're a right teaser! LOL Good luck with angle shades. It may be a bit early in the year for parasites, I hope so!
Pics will be forthcoming when I know more .. promise!
Great surprise when I checked assorted eggs & pupae overwintering in shed ... very early emergence of one of the two Toadflax Brocade but sad because it has very badly malformed wings, obviously didn't inflate fully even though there was height available for climbing up ... poor little thing was desperately trying to fly after I bought her into house, currently residing in butterfly house with some sugar water, can only keep her safe!
Will get a better pic tomorrow, didn't want to disturb her any more today!
Some footage of her struggling yesterday after escaping ...
Still lively today but in the safety of butterfly house resting beside her (or is it a him?) pupal case
Oh dear poor little thing, it may be kinder to put it out for the birds Wendy. I know it's hard but I don't think it'll improve.
I forgot I had a pretty Satellite on the rope last night
Didn't even know there was a Satellite Moth! Haven't been mothing here yet although I see on Kent Moths FB site & Twitter that there's plenty around ... Have to get through Storm Georgina tonight/tomorrow before I consider giving it a go!
I don't feel inclined to feed TB to the birds H, am keeping her safe for her short life, should think it unlikely that a male will find her but am waiting to see if the last pupa will open early to maybe provide a mate for some eggs!
Have my new incumbents now ... pics soon!
Introducing Samia Cynthia Ricini, approx 10mm @ 10 days old
Hopefully will pupate & one of these will emerge
01.05 24th ... seven lined up in bed with other two to follow!
Oh how lovely Wendy, I binged Privet & guessed that was what they were!!
Good idea to try & breed with TB. I had a few moths in the trap last night, well they weren't in it but on the walls around the trap!
Dotted border
Spring Usher
& a poor Many-lined which made the mistake of landing on the spiders web in the corner of the door
As I've said before, we all have to eat, but I wish it had been the Double-striped Pug which is much more common!