It's been a busy week enjoying the better weather and getting out in the garden. Last week I saw the great tits fledge from the nest box close to the house but I've not seen them around the garden which is a bit of a worry. What I have seen are plenty of baby blue tits and goldfinches as well as fledgeling robins and a juvenile song thrush. The air is full of the rich and throaty calls of blackbirds going on well into the evening. These light nights mean I can be in bed about 10.15 (as I am an early riser) still in relative daylight and listening to the blackbirds singing outside the open window. The warmer weather also means more moths so we set out our trap last night. These are just a few of the species we saw when we opened it this morning. They are now under cover awaiting release tonight. I'm still trawling through my photos and notes to send our results to the County Recorder but the trap has one of my favourite moths in it. The photo above is of the Privet Hawk Moth which is about the size of a small bird. Having one on your hand getting ready to take off is a privilege. I love their colouring. Here are a few others from last night that might help show the diversity of these beautiful things.
The Peppered Moth
A Buff-Tip and a Scorched Wing
A White Ermine and a Flame Shoulder
The Bloodvein
7 comments:
Oh wow, what beautiful creatures!
wouldn't say that if they flapped around my head mind!
Love
Lyn
xxx
Hi Lesley.....friends have often said to me that moths are boring. I have never understood that.
The privet hawk moth is beautiful.....and the other unusual and interesting.....
I have been lucky enough to hold hawk moths..... they fill your palm don't they? I have never seen a white ermine before... or a Bloodvein, you will have me consulting my books ............. and that is no bad thing!
:O)))))
Wonderful post Lesley! I can't understand how moths are the 'underdogs' to butterflies, when they are just as beautiful! Love the White Ermine and the Bloodvein! Never spotted those two before.
Dan
-x-
What beauties, don't think I've seen a privet hawk moth. Our great tits disappeared - they were nesting in the vent pipe, I was worried they'd 'cooked' in that heat wave, but they turned up last week - at least I like to think it was them - M&D plus four babies, tumbling about and perching on each others heads!
Your moths are wonderful!! I love to see how beautiful and different they are! Thank you for showing some of them on your blog.
Our art teacher has given us some artists that we have to choose from to study shoe paintings. I have chosen Mark Swartz and Madison Moore. I am busy doing my art project now based on these two artists. I will try to show you on the blog as long as my teacher doesn't keep them at school!
Lucy xxxx
Beautiful.... I stumbled upon your blog tonight... Love moths. I've been finding a luna moth every other day or so, amazing there are so many this summer. Unfortunately, I'm finding carcasses as they are all getting eaten in the wee morning hours by early birds! I'm in the US.. wonder if you have Luna's in the UK?
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