MOTW – The Lead Belle
The Lead Bell is a mysterious species in D&G! We only have eight records since 1942 of which a single one, actually of five male specimens, has been confirmed as a Lead Bell and this was through microscopic examination of…
MOTW – The Eyed Hawk-moth
This magnificent, large moth is a very rare sight in Dumfries and Galloway. It was last seen in 2018 and there have only been 15 records ever. Although this species is widespread throughout most of England and Wales, like quite…
MOTW – The Scorched Carpet
2024 has got off to an interesting start with Peter Norman spotting this Scorched Carpet in his actinic light trap at Carrick Shore south of Gatehouse of Fleet on the eighth of May. This geometrid moth is about the same…
MOTW – The Clearwings
The Clearwing moths are members of the family Sesiidae and all of them have wings which have some areas free from scales showing the transparent, underlying membrane. Some species do initially have a covering of scales but these rub off…
MOTW – Straw-coloured Tubic Agnoea subochreella
This micro-moth’s forewing is only 8mm long and the whole moth is uniform pale sandy (or is it straw?) coloured. This species belongs to an obscure family the Lypusidae which only has four species in the UK. Like the others…
MOTW – Portland Moth
The moths shown below came to a light-trap set in Tentsmuir in Fife last week by Nigel Voaden. This species is very distinctive with a forewing about 20mm long, parallel sided wings and the unique green colour with black cross-lines…
MOTW – Short-cloaked Moth
This is yet another new addition to the moth fauna of D&G. On the 19th July this year Peter Norman found this small moth in a light trap while trapping at Ross Bay south of Borgue. Although only a centimetre…
MOTW – The Forester
This beautiful and unmistakable metallic green-blue day-flying moth is a relative of the burnet moths but has a very restricted distribution in Scotland. It is found in the south-east corner of Kircudbrightshire and in the coastal area of Argyll around…
MOTW – Brown-veined Wainscot
A remarkable year has revealed another first for Scotland! Two of these very distinctive wainscot moths came to Iain Leach’s moth trap at Blackcraig near Newton Stewart on the 30th of July this year. With little variation in colour and…
MOTW – Scarce Bagworm Bankesia consurcatella
This is another bagworm discovered by Richard Mearns this year (remember the Virgin Bagworm cases that Richard found last year and featured in a MotW?). This odd family of moths (Psychidae) all have caterpillars that live in movable cases rather…