Phwoar!!!

This post is not about eastern-european women that live (and perhaps work) in Wanstead. It is unashamedly about moths. What a departure I hear you say. Yeah, well. Anyway, last night was superb, and I have a new favourite moth:

It was so good that it deserves a full list, at least of the macros. New ones in bold: Buff Arches, 7 Heart and Dart, 5 Heart and Club, 2 Willow Beauty, Large Yellow Underwing, 2 Pale Mottled Willow, The Uncertain, 6 Riband Wave, Small Dusty Wave, Common Wainscot, Sycamore, Marbled Green, Dark Arches, Light Arches, a Minor agg., Common Marbled Carpet, Yellow Shell, and, most significantly of all, Scarce Silver-lines.

Scarce Silver-lines basically encapsualtes all you would want in a moth. It is a nice colour, it has no stupid patterns or dots that make it look like one of several hundred species, it is big, neat, and it is easily identifiable. And if that were not perfection enough, it also has pink antennae. Look!


Whilst this moth is going to take some beating, and in fact may never be surpassed, the Yellow Shell deserves an honourable mention.

Heart and Club

I couldn't believe it when the Scarce Silver-lines dropped onto the top of the trap. I knew it was a good one just from the size (big = good), but it's difficult to assess colour from the flourescent bulb, so I popped a pot over it and brought it inside to examine, whereupon I discovered I had one of my most wanteds. Divine intervention, presumably as a result of my extreme contrition at having laughed at that blind lady. It seemed very still, so I took a load of photos of it last night, and a few more this morning for good measure. Whilst it may be July tomorrow, I expect I will continue the mothing as it is really good fun, and bar the initial purchase of a trap (£74), is very inexpensive. Best of all, the trap is portable, so when I go down to Porthgwarra for my Albatross later in the year, I can use it there too.

I have at least twenty more like this. Be good or you'll get them.