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…
There has been considerable interest recently in using insect pheromones to attract certain moths and the results of some of these have been commented on in previous MotW – for example the Emperor Moth and the Lunar Hornet Moth. However,…
This is another micro moth new to D&G! It was discovered some time ago by Richard Mearns in the unusual habitat of a lichen covered tree stump, shown below, near Ironhirst Loch, Dumfriesshire. Formerly considered a separate species, it is…
This is some moth! A very convincing, day-flying wasp mimic with a swollen abdomen, black and yellow warning colours and clear wings. It also has a buzzing flight and pulsates its abdomen just like a wasp getting ready to sting!…
Welcome to Scotland! This micro moth is one of the larger species with a wingspan of 21-23mm and is one of the ten species in the Crambid genus which includes the very familiar Small Magpie. However, the photograph above is…
This iridescent blue-green moth is a day flier and spends a lot of time feeding on flowers. It is an insect of tall vegetation particularly where there are plenty of open flowers which can supply nectar. It actually lays its…
This moth is at is at the beginning of its emergence period and it is quite possible to find it anytime between now and September. However, if you look at all the records there are for it there are two…
Every moth trap in D&G set at this time of year will have an Early Grey in it at some time, rarely more than one. The records show that many of these moths are also found during the day on…
This must be one moth that everyone knows! As the moth traps come out again, after a long winter’s hibernation, almost any night at this time of year will produce a Common Quaker (and, of course, a Hebrew Character or…
Only a few micro-moths can be found in light-traps at this time of year (in fact large numbers of species of this group of families never come to light at all). This one was found by Iain Leach in his…