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Moths seen in the garden to date A-C, D-F, G-M, N-Si, Sh-the end
April 2006
I'm asking myself what happened to March and the beginning of April as I update this site. It must have happened and yet I seem to have no photographic evidence of it and only vague memories of what might have been, one of which was having seen two goldfinches in the garden, a momentous event but one which I failed to record. Even now it is only because someone commented that I ought to update my web pages that I have taken time to do so.
It
has been a slow start to the year and the spring proper seems very late. Many
of the Essex moth group are commenting on the low numbers of moths there are.
However within the last couple of days with the blue skies and warmer weather
one of our members sighted the first hummingbird hawkmoth of the year. I myself
have not been so fortunate. This morning, 15th April, there was one moth in the
trap, a common quaker, and one by the light outside, a March moth - shows you
how slow the year has been! I have included a picture of it as the only other
picture I have of one of these is with its wings uncharacteristically unfolded.
As
I sit and look out of my study window this Holy Saturday, it certainly doesn't
look very spring like, there is a very fine drizzle and it is cold and damp,
yet last week we had some beautiful April days, a little blustery with a few
showers but the cherry blossom, at least that's what I think it is, was set off
perfectly against blue or black skies. Spring may be slow in coming but surely
it will come and then we shall all feel better for it. I wonder what it felt
like to those disciples on the first Holy Saturday, it must have seemed
hopeless and yet.........................
17th April, there are still very few moths coming to the trap, 1 common quaker inside it and I think there may have been one or two on the outside of it as there was a great tit and a blackbird on it when I went to it first thing, I must get up earlier as I suspect they had managed to find a couple of moths for their breakfast! Not having had much luck there I went to see if the light by the front door had attracted anything, without much enthusiasm. However there was a delightful surprise in the form of a new species to be recorded in the garden, a shoulder-stripe, Anticlea badiata.
20th April, and at long last there are a few more moths coming to the trap. This evening I went out at about 10 pm to see if anything was around and there were two early thorns, one on a tree near the trap and the other on the trap itself. Then outside by the front light there was one of my favourite little moths the twenty-plume moth. I find this one so intriguing because of its many plumed wings spread out like a feathered fan. I was fortunate enough to obtain a very clear picture so have included it along with that of one of the early thorns.
twenty-plume moth, alucita
hexadactyla
early thorn, selenia dentaria
It is well worth clicking onto the picture of the twenty-plume moth to see the detail.
February / June / Home/ equipment / The garden / email
Moths seen in the garden to date A-C, D-F, G-M, N-Si, Sh-the end