Summer moth-ing
Summer is a great time for insects and the warm balmy nights are terrific for a group of insects that are under rated and seldom seen. I have been trapping and studying these lovely creature for a few years, latterly as part of the Garden Moth Scheme (GMS). Every Friday, for 36 weeks in the year, GMS participants trap from 6.00pm till 6.00am in their back gardens and record the moths they find. You never really know what will be in the trap first thing in the morning when you go down, and new species are frequently encountered. Last Friday (June 25th) my trap captured two individuals of a beautiful moth, which was new for me and new for my garden. The species is the Burnished Brass (Diachrysia chrysitis). And what a beauty, with that shimmering metallic gold on its wings (see picture below courtesy of Dave Grundy).
The species is widely distributed and common across the UK (see map below). It feeds on nettles and is common enough around gardens in cities. It’s a double brooded species so you’ll encounter it in in June and September when adults are on the wing in the night.
To find out more about these lovely creatures see the OPAL West Midlands website, or check out the wealth of information on the UKMoths webpage. You can do a lot of good natural history in your own gardens. As the RSPB have been saying in their ‘homes for wildlife initiative’, have a look, you might be surprised by what you find.
And don’t forget to join us at our Moth night in the Park on July 24th!
The species is widely distributed and common across the UK (see map below). It feeds on nettles and is common enough around gardens in cities. It’s a double brooded species so you’ll encounter it in in June and September when adults are on the wing in the night.
To find out more about these lovely creatures see the OPAL West Midlands website, or check out the wealth of information on the UKMoths webpage. You can do a lot of good natural history in your own gardens. As the RSPB have been saying in their ‘homes for wildlife initiative’, have a look, you might be surprised by what you find.
And don’t forget to join us at our Moth night in the Park on July 24th!
A couple of moths and the tree bumblee
We have moved our wildlife blog page from its old location to this website. The old blog will be retained as an archive page. So to get the thing moving we have small post on a couple of moths and a new bumblebee. Keep an eye out for the aptly named chimney sweeper moth (see picture below). This is delightful little moth with blackened wings with bright white wing tips and best of all it is a day flier.
It is also worth keeping an eye on the bird cherry trees in the park. We have lots of those. Some of them are currently being defoliated by the communal nesting caterpillars of some Ermine moths. I am not sure what species it is, but they are great though as they create little silk-spun nests, hundreds in each tree (see below).
And one more interesting wildlife item for the park is a sighting on the tree bumblee (Bombus hypnorum). This is a new species that has been moving north from the south, similar to the large hoverfly, Volucella zonaria. BWARS are mapping its distribution as are OPALWM. It is a distinctive species with a unique combination of a ginger thorax and a white tail.
No other UK bumble bee has this colour pattern. The species is often found on species of Cotoneaster and Lilac (Ceanothus spp.) and can be found on many flowery garden shrubs.
All of these are worth keeping an eye out for right now.
It is also worth keeping an eye on the bird cherry trees in the park. We have lots of those. Some of them are currently being defoliated by the communal nesting caterpillars of some Ermine moths. I am not sure what species it is, but they are great though as they create little silk-spun nests, hundreds in each tree (see below).
And one more interesting wildlife item for the park is a sighting on the tree bumblee (Bombus hypnorum). This is a new species that has been moving north from the south, similar to the large hoverfly, Volucella zonaria. BWARS are mapping its distribution as are OPALWM. It is a distinctive species with a unique combination of a ginger thorax and a white tail.
No other UK bumble bee has this colour pattern. The species is often found on species of Cotoneaster and Lilac (Ceanothus spp.) and can be found on many flowery garden shrubs.
All of these are worth keeping an eye out for right now.