Downe, August 2012

Hoverfly, Melanostoma scalare, on Field Bindweed, Convolvuus arvensis.  Downe, 25 August 2012.

I do still go out on general field trips.  These are a few close-up photos taken in the fields near Downe, quite close to Biggin Hill airport where we occasionally heard small jets taking off.   This first one is a favourite subject of mine; a hoverfly on a flower.  There was some occasional drizzle, hence the small drops on the petals.

Autumn Hawkbit, Leontodon autumnalis.  Downe, 25 August 2012.

I was pleased to find some Autumn Hawkbits to add to my collection of photos of flowers that are rather like Dandelions but are not them.   These are not easy to tell from other Hawkbits just from the flowers; the leaves are very helpful, but sometimes hard to find in the grass.  But the red-backed outer petals, and the way the flower head tapers into the stem, and that it's only slightly hairy, are all indicators. 

Lesser Trefoil, Trifolium dubium.  Downe, 25 August 2012.

Tiny yellow flowers in the grass, looking rather like clovers, can be several things.  Often it is Black Medick, but that has a minute leaf-point inset at the end of its leaves.  No such points here, and this is a Lesser Trefoil.

Finally ...

Unidentified caterpillar on the stem of Hawkweed Oxtongue, Picris hieracioides. Downe, 25 August 2012.

As is often the case, I haven't been able to identify this caterpillar, but we saw several specimens of the plant it seems to be eating.  Unfortunately it's not listed as one of the larvae that eat this plant.  Clearly the list is incomplete!  It is definitely a butterfly or moth larva, not a sawfly which can sometimes look very much like them.  Because of its looping habit, I suspect it is a Geometrid moth, but that's just a guess.

Jersey Tigers

Jersey Tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria.  From my actinic trap in Hayes on 20 August 2012.

An unusual moth, large and colourful.  It's quite large for a British moth, as you can see from the faint 5mm squares in the background.  Normally it's quite scarce, but it seems to be popping up in several places just now.  There were two in my little garden trap on the morning of August 20th.  Perhaps a flock has come over the Channel, or perhaps it has bred unusually well this year.

Jersey Tiger, Euplagia quadripunctaria.  From my actinic trap in Hayes on 20 August 2012.

Even through the spotty plastic of this tube, the bright orange underwing glows.  It was a beautiful sight when it flew away.

Violet Helleborines

Violet Helleborine, Epipactis purpurata, at Down House on 18 August 2012.  One mature flower and one just going over.

We interrupt the displays of moths for some uncommon wildflowers.  These orchids, Violet Helleborines, are in full flower at Down House, once the home of Charles Darwin and now managed by English Heritage.

While not really rare, it is scarce and getting scarcer, and widely scattered.  It only appears in 73 out of 1450 2-kilometer squares in Kent.  But it seems to be established and spreading in one little spot in the grounds of Down House.

Violet Helleborine, Epipactis purpurata, at Down House on 18 August 2012.  The largest specimen.

This is the largest specimen, and it is unusually big and healthy.  I saw six smaller ones, two of which had their tops eaten off, perhaps by deer.  There are almost certainly others that I didn't spot.  A local naturalist told me that they have been here for four years, and are doing well.

Violet Helleborine, Epipactis purpurata, at Down House on 18 August 2012.    Two fresh flowers.

Despite being almost all green, they stand out quite well among the other plants in this tree-lined walkway, most of which are not much above ground level.  And like other Helleborines, they seem to prefer the edges of pathways, right where people walk.  There are quite a few plants that like woodland edge conditions, and our paths create that kind of environment artificially.

It's good to see plants like this flourishing.

They're in my house.

Least Carpet, Idaea rusticata atrosignaria.  Moths that arrived in the house on 15th August.

This, above, is the fifth of the moths in my house over a two-day period, continuing from my previous post.

It is another small one, a Geometer, related to the Pug and the Willow Beauty I showed last time.  The caterpillars eat withered leaves of Ivy and probably many other plants, and it is quite common.  It's sitting on my chest of drawers, and that is made of real wood, not like the door the Pug was resting on last time.

Beautiful Plume, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

This one looks quite different.  It's a plume moth, family Pterophoridae.  It flies slowly and is not at all agile.  I caught it in mid-flight a specimen tube with no problem, twice; the second time was necessary because it didn't stay put on the measuring paper.  The first time was when it came in my window and moved gently past me, looking spindly and gawky, as I gaped at it.

This species is new to me, though not rare.It's technically a micromoth, though just as big as many that aren't.  The caterpillars eat any one of several plants, including Goosefoots and Crane's-bills, which are common here.

Endotricha flammealis.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

Another micromoth.  This one was on my wall the next day, so must have come in sometime duing the night.  It's of the family Pyralidae and often rests with stiff forelegs and wings cocked up at an angle.  The caterpillars eat decaying leaves on the ground, and it's common in gardens in the south.

The last one of this set.

Scarce Footman, Eilema complana.  At my window on 15th August.

I grabbed this in a tube when it came to my window on the second night.  It's of the family Arctiidae.  Like the Marbled Beauty I showed yesterday, its caterpillars eat lichens, and it's common in woodlands but rather less so in gardens, so I was pleased to add it to my house's species count.

So, there are nine moths, all quite different and all with their own beauty.  They represent six different families.  Would I have noticed this variety and interest before I started with moths a year ago?  Apparently not, because I don't recall anything like this invasion, though I suppose it must have happened.

I'm Surrounded!

Double-striped Pug, Gymnoscelis rurifasciata.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

Now I'm paying attention to moths, it seems that there are more of them than ever before.  Over the last two evenings, nine different ones have flown into my computer room while I was working.  So I will say a bit more about those individuals.

At the top is a Pug, one of a group of quite small moths within the family Geometridae.  It's only a couple of centimetres across.  The caterpillars of this one eat the flowers of many local plants and shrubs such as Holly, Ivy, and Gorse, and it is quite common in gardens and parks.  There are two generations each year and I have seen several in my garden trap.

It's sitting on one of my doors, and under this magnification you can see that the "wood" is fake!

Light Brown Apple Moth, Epiphyas postvittana.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

This is a common micromoth, so called because many of the species assigned that description are small to tiny.  This one is just over a centimetre long, and has the colouration of a male.  It belongs to the family Tortricidae, and would usually be called a Tortrix.   It originated in Australia and was not seen in Britain before 1936.  The caterpillar eats dead tissues of many trees, shrubs and plants, and it breeds all year long if the weather is warm enough.  This one was on my wall.

Willow Beauty, Peribatodes rhomboidaria.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

The largest moth to arrive in my bedroom was this Willow Beauty.  They vary in size and are usually four or five centimetres across.  In this species, the male has pectinate (comb-like) antennae, used to pick up the female pheromones.  You could say it smells with its antennae.

It is of the family Geometridae and would usually be called a Geometer.  The caterpillars eat many broad-leaved trees and shrubs, and it is widespread and common; it can even be found in urban centres, including London, which has many parks stocked with its food plants.

Pale Mottled Willow, Paradrina clavipalpis.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

This one was walking up my wall and never stopped for a real close-up.  It belongs to the family Noctuidae, and I see many of them in my garden trap.  The markings are sometimes not very distinct but it consistently has three or four black dots along the leading edge of its wings and an indeterminate number of white flecks around the kidney-marks that are typical of this family.  Though on this specimen you can only just make them out.

It's a little under two centimetres long.  The caterpillars eat grass seeds, including cereal grains, and so it tends to thrive in farmland, grasslands and urban gardens.  The book has a note that it used to live in coal mines, living on the fodder of pit ponies. 

Marbled Beauty, Cryphia domestica.  In my computer room in Hayes on 14 August 2012.

This prettily patterned moth is another Noctuid.  The kidney-marks are much clearer on this one, if you know where to find them.  I persuaded it to rest on my measuring paper, which has lines at 5 millimeter intervals; size is a useful aid to recording and identification.

The caterpillars eat lichens growing on rocks, walls and trees, so it can often be found around old buildings.  It is not supposed to be rare, but this is only the second one I have seen in my year of mothing.

I will continue this next time ...

Crassa unitella

Crassa unitella.  Trapped in Kingswood Glen, 24 July 2012.

Yes, my posts are very moth-oriented recently.  But they are so fascinating, and unexpectedly easy to find.  This one turned up on a night trapping exercise to which I was invited by Ishpi Blatchley, our local bat and lichen expert who has also become interested in them.

Some of them look like illustrations of alien monsters from the covers of science fiction books (or, for the more classically oriented, something from the corner of a triptych by Heironymous Bosch).  Others simply fail to resemble anything you might imagine a living creature could look like, or are just very odd.  This one, with its buff body and yellowish head, stripey antennae and curved palps, has six perfectly good legs, some of them looking quite sturdy, but is still resting on its proboscis like a seventh leg.  The head-down pose is typical of this species.

Here's the trap we used.

Actinic Skinner-type moth trap in Kingswood Glen, 24 July 2012.

Moths love it.  Normally!  We didn't get nearly as many as we expected that night.  There were a huge number of midges and mosquitoes, though.  Mothing has its risks ...

Six-spot Burnet

Six-spot Burnet, Zygaena filipendulae stephensii.  High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

This is a day-flying moth that many people take for a butterfly, and one can see why.  It's brightly coloured.  The antennae are neither feathery not whip-like, as moth antennae usually are, and are not far from some butterfly types.  It flies areound in the day and feeds from the same flowers that butterflies like.

Six-spot Burnet, Zygaena filipendulae stephensii, in flight. High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

This one is probably a male, searching for unmated females.  It zoomed around for as long as I watched it without stopping to feed.  Others were happily perched on flowers, mostly Common Knapweed, sticking their probosces deep into the florets.

Six-spot Burnet, Zygaena filipendulae stephensii.  High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

This one has been feeding - I have the photos - but now has curled its proboscis twice around a single floret of Knapweed.  I have no idea why it is doing this.

Interesting, though .. that proboscis is more maneuverable than I thought.  And look at those matt black eyes!

Hide and Seek

Silver-washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia, at the top of a Buddliea.  High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

This Buddleia is often a great spot to find butterflies, as well as other interesting insects; they all come to feed on this abundant source of nectar.  But today, I saw none, until one Silver-washed Fritillary came along.  But all it wanted to do was rest at a height.

Garden snails, Helix aspersa,  in daytime, high up in a Buddleia.  High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

But there were some invertebrates high in the bush.  Not insects, though!  These snails often find high places to rest during the day.  They find a flattish surface and stick to it, and seal off their shells with dried slime to keep themselves moist.

Wild Carrot Flowers

Wild Carrot, Daucus carota carota, showing three examples of the different centre flower.
High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

If you look closely at Wild Carrot flower heads, you will see a different-looking flower right in the middle.  This is an odd thing.  It's a little larger than the flowers around it, and although it's often more or less the same colour, often it is a deep red or a velvety black.

Wild Carrot, Daucus carota carota, showing three examples of the different centre flower.  Closeups.
High Elms Country Park, 2 August 2012.

It is sometimes said that this, to an insect, looks as though another insect is already on the flower, and so makes it look safer for them to investigate - and, as a result, pollinate.  But if that is so, why are so many of them almost the same white as the other flowers?  And you can see a typical insect on the top photo; it doesn't look much like the flowers.  It is a Common Red Soldier Beetle, aka a Hogweed Bonking Beetle, and they are everywhere just now.  Its presence on many other species of flower shows that it did not need a decoy to entice it onto this one.

But, interesting, anyway.

Another Plume Moth

Dingy White Plume, Merrifeldia baliodactylus.  High Elms Country Park, 21 July 2012.

This is another plume moth from High Elms.  Its wings look even more feathery than those of the Brown Plume I posted last time.  This one was photographed in the wild, where I was able to get a good shot without needing to capture it.

It is a buff colour, but you might think that it doesn't look very dingy; but its name is a comparison with the White Plume, which is much brighter.

Brown Plume

Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla.  High Elms Country Park, 21 July 2012.

This is one of the less usual types of moth, though some species are quite common and easily disturbed during the day.  It is a plume moth, so called because the wings are rolled up at rest and sometimes look more like feathers than moth wings.

From this viewpoint they look more like an airplane's wings .. but they actually have quite a fringe of hairs along their edges, as you can see here:

Brown Plume, Stenoptilia pterodactyla.  High Elms Country Park, 21 July 2012.

They open up to normal wings when the creature flies.

I collected this moth in a little plastic pot and took it home to photograph it.  It was quite cooperative, as you can see.  Then I let it go.  Was it a coincidence that one of this species turned up in my garden moth trap that night?   Perhaps not ...

Yellow Bird's-nest

Yellow Bird's-nest, Monotropa hypopitys.  High Elms Country Park, 21 July 2012.

Under the trees in some woods you might find plants that are not at all green, and are not fungi either.  Like many fungi, they parasitise other plants.  Examples include the Bird's-nest Orchid, Toothwort, and this one, the Yellow Bird's-nest.

This grows in long drifts in High Elms Country Park.  It gives the appearance of following the roots of trees, and for good reason; it parasitises the fungi that form relationships with tree roots, the mycorrhiza. 

Just another of the interesting things you can find if you know where to look ... I didn't; I had to be shown.

Swallowtail

Swallow-tailed Moth, Ourapteryx sambucaria.  In my actinic light trap in Hayes on 28 July 2012.

One evening I put the moth trap out and it promptly started to rain.  So I quickly pulled it apart and reinstated it under the shelter of my balcony.  This is enough to shelter from showers, though torrential rain falls close enough to it to splash it thoroughly.

But it seems that having the trap out on a night of light rain or showers is quite productive.  Next morning, among other specimens new to me, I found this delight.  Large and beautiful, a light fresh yellow decorated with with darker yellow streaks and those red and black highlights at the pointed ends of the hind wings.

It continues to amaze me that these creatures are out there at night and don't get seen unless you make an effort like this.  They come to my small, ordinary suburban garden and I suspect that they go under my back balcony to shelter from the rain.  And there they find an attractive light and somewhere to rest ...

The caterpillars of this Swallow-tailed Moth eat a range of broad-leaved trees and would have no problem thriving here.  But the adults just don't go out in the day, except when I let them go from the trap.  This one flew off like a big yellow butterfly in the early morning light at 6 am.