MOTW – Satellite
Autumn is definitely here and the species of moths out and about at this time have changed dramatically. As the November moths are reaching their peak and the Winter moths are starting to come out in huge numbers there are…
MOTW – Streak
The Streak is one of our common moths and it is found everywhere its food plant Broom grows. Broom is a plant of sandy, well-drained, acidic soils and grows on almost any ridge or slope especially if the soil is…
MOTW – Box-tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis
No, this is not a D&G moth – yet! I just came across a paper on the spread of the Box-tree moth in the Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation (131, 2019) and at the same time found out that…
MOTW – Vestal
This is a beautiful moth in its own right but is here representing the autumn migration which has possibly just peaked! From the various postings and comments on the web recently this must be an exceptional year for migrants with…
MOTW – Merveille du Jour
This common moth is definitely a 'Wonder of the Day' with its outstanding colours and patterns. It is ‘designed’ to disappear when resting on a lichen covered tree trunk in an ancient oak wood which is classically its habitat. Although…
MOTW – Black Rustic
A freshly emerged Black Rustic is a beautiful sight and finding one in the light-trap is very rewarding. Although it is ‘black’ the patterns on its wings, also mostly in black, do stand out in the right light due to…
MOTW – Copper Underwing
Into September and the light trap is full of relatively few autumnal moths which are replacing the myriad of species found so recently in high summer. One woodland moth which always attracts attention is the large Copper Underwing – usually…
MOTW – Devon Carpet
It was difficult to resist saying something about a moth ‘from’ Devon appearing in Scotland! The facts are that this moth, common in Devon and Cornwall, has expanded up the western side of the UK through West Wales and Lancashire…
MOTW – Beech-green Carpet
A photograph sent to me of a very recently emerged Beech-green Carpet was enough to make me think more about this relatively unfamiliar moth. The key feature is its olive-green colouration which gradually fades as the adult moth ages to…
MOTW – Bedstraw Hawk-moth
This is the year for this fantastic moth with reports of them from throughout the UK. In D&G we have only 12 previous records (1870, 1888, 2003(2), 2005(2), 2006(2), 2007(3), 2016). This is one of the classic migrants from the…