Two Early Moths

Hebrew Character, Orthosia gothica.  Caught in my moth trap in Hayes on 9 March 2012.

I have been putting my moth trap out over the winter, on days which seem milder than most, and catching an occasional creature. Now, in March, some more moths are turning up.

This first one is the Hebrew Character, named after that wing marking which looks a little like the Hebrew letter Nun, נ, and has something of the style of the Hebrew alphabet.

Some would disparage the second one as an LBJ, or "little brown job." But that does it a disservice. The wings, though muted in tone, are clearly marked and the whole thing looks very smart.

Common Quaker, Orthosia cerasi.  Caught in my moth trap in Hayes on 11 March 2012.

I picked up a rough piece of bark in Scords Wood and I have been using it as a background for some of my moth photos. So far it's quite effective.