Nature Notes from Argyll
(and occasionally other places)

Wed 29 Jun 2011 Glencruitten, near Oban

Last night the moth traps were set in a garden at Glencruitten.  17 moths of 12 species were caught.     There was a green theme to the night's catch with 5 moths of 3 species showing this colour well, despite the fact that most green moths fade to whitish very quickly.  The Green Carpet above has begun to fade a bit, but the Green Arches on the left was in prime condition.  First time I'd seen this beautiful creature.

Like the Green Carpet above, the Light Emerald on the left flew into the bushes when the trap was opened, but did not evade the camera. In contrast to all the green, this is a Barred Red, though a rather brownish specimen.

Mottled Beauty, a moth that likes to display its hindwings with their scalloped borders.
 

A male Brown Rustic, very worn but easily identifiable by the comb-like antennae and the white dots up the wing edge.  And a Flame Shoulder, with its wings spread a bit more than usual.  Both these species are very common in the traps at present.
 

The Heart & Dart, with its lion's mane and the diagnostic dark forehead bar.  And the Double Square-spot, which is very difficult to tell from the Triple-spotted Clay; thanks to Roy Leverton for doing so.
 

Left: The Small Angle Shades   Above: the night's only micro-moth, the Garden Grass-veneer, which is also commonly seen by day.  This one is rather worn.

This is the Coxcomb Prominent.  In the LH pic it has its head to the top, its underside to the left, and its bumpy topside to the right.  UK moths says that if handled it feigns death, and that's just what it's doing in the second pic, lying with its 6 legs in the air like a puppy wanting its tummy tickled.  It came back to life when placed in the bushes.

Of the 12 species the following occurred twice: Green Carpet, Light Emerald, Brown Rustic, Mottled Beauty and Flame Shoulder.  The rest occurred once.

Thu 30 Jun 2011 Glencruitten

We ran the actinic moth trap again, this time in the polytunnel, to find out whether that is as frequented by moths at night as it is by other insects during the day.  The result: one solitary moth, a Drinker.  So here are four views of it.

The pic with open wings is a bit blurred as it was fluttering them.

 

All photos and other content copyright © Carl Farmer