Re: Neil Freeman
Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:00 pm
I wasn't going to do any more retrospectives of 2020 but trawling back through my photos for Wurzel's favourites threads prompted me to put some words together for one more.
Looking back at 2020 – Day Flying Moths.
I have mentioned before that, unlike more favoured areas of the country, we still usually get a ‘June Gap’ around here during which the spring butterflies have mostly disappeared but the summer ones are only just starting. In 2020, due to the warm weather we had during parts of April and May, this gap occurred here a good week or so earlier than usual and was more of a late May gap. Of course, this gap can be filled by travelling to see some of the more premium species, but from my location here in the midlands this would entail travelling further than I am willing to go for a day trip, especially this year when even when the travel restrictions were lifted, I didn’t feel comfortable going far.
However, there is still plenty to see during this period and last year the first few individuals of the typical early summer species were starting to be seen, with Large Skippers and Meadow Browns both putting in an early appearance and also being joined by the first summer brood Small Tortoiseshells and Speckled Woods, all of which appeared before the end of May as described in my previous reports. These were all still only just emerging however, and numbers didn’t really build until later in June and for a couple of weeks in late May into early June they were greatly outnumbered around here by various day flying moths.
The most numerous of these were Burnet Companions which were flying in good numbers at all my local spots, with particularly high counts at both Sheldon Country Park and over the other side of Solihull at Blythe Valley Park.
Not as numerous but still seen at all sites in fairly good numbers were Mother Shipton. All of my literature says that this species shows little variation but every year I find some that look distinctly more golden/yellow than the usual greyish tones. I don’t believe that this is down to differences between the sexes or entirely due to differences in light when taking the photos. Something to look into a bit more I reckon.
Cinnabar Moths seemed to have a good season but despite seeing quite a few, I usually find these difficult to get a good photo of with their habit of usually settling low down in the grass.
A few Cinnabars also turned up in my garden moth trap showing that they also fly at night, and which gave me a better chance for a photo.
Latticed Heaths also tuned up regularly at most of my local sites although usually just a couple each time.
Far less common around my patch, although they can be found at a couple of sites, are Chimney Sweeper Moths. I was chuffed therefore to find a small colony I was unaware of at Sheldon Country Park.
Another species that is not widespread around here is the small but attractive Grass Rivulet. I have only ever seen these at one other site around Solihull so again I was chuffed to find another site for these at Sheldon Country Park. Like many of these day flying moths, they can be difficult to photograph with their habit of settling underneath leaves.
I only usually find the diminutive Small Yellow Underwing at Castle Hills and this remained the case in 2020 with around half a dozen seen each time on a couple of visits.
Not strictly a day flyer but often seen in daylight when it is easily disturbed is the Shaded Broad-bar which was seen in large numbers at Bickenhill and also in lower numbers at most of my other local sites.
Also often disturbed during the day is the attractive Yellow Shell which I saw at a number of sites as well as turning up in my garden moth trap throughout most of the summer.
By the middle of June, the numbers of most of these moths were on the wane and the focus was shifting back to the summer butterflies.
Mind you, some of my moth trapping acquaintances maintain that butterflies are day flying moths anyway, and they actually have a point https://butterfly-conservation.org/news ... utterflies.
After all the wind and rain (and snow on Wednesday night) we had here earlier in the week it has settled down again, but clear skies have meant that temperatures have dropped giving us a good frost this morning (Friday). We also have a weather warning for snow and ice on Sunday morning and it does not look like it will be getting much above freezing for the next few days.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil
Looking back at 2020 – Day Flying Moths.
I have mentioned before that, unlike more favoured areas of the country, we still usually get a ‘June Gap’ around here during which the spring butterflies have mostly disappeared but the summer ones are only just starting. In 2020, due to the warm weather we had during parts of April and May, this gap occurred here a good week or so earlier than usual and was more of a late May gap. Of course, this gap can be filled by travelling to see some of the more premium species, but from my location here in the midlands this would entail travelling further than I am willing to go for a day trip, especially this year when even when the travel restrictions were lifted, I didn’t feel comfortable going far.
However, there is still plenty to see during this period and last year the first few individuals of the typical early summer species were starting to be seen, with Large Skippers and Meadow Browns both putting in an early appearance and also being joined by the first summer brood Small Tortoiseshells and Speckled Woods, all of which appeared before the end of May as described in my previous reports. These were all still only just emerging however, and numbers didn’t really build until later in June and for a couple of weeks in late May into early June they were greatly outnumbered around here by various day flying moths.
The most numerous of these were Burnet Companions which were flying in good numbers at all my local spots, with particularly high counts at both Sheldon Country Park and over the other side of Solihull at Blythe Valley Park.
Not as numerous but still seen at all sites in fairly good numbers were Mother Shipton. All of my literature says that this species shows little variation but every year I find some that look distinctly more golden/yellow than the usual greyish tones. I don’t believe that this is down to differences between the sexes or entirely due to differences in light when taking the photos. Something to look into a bit more I reckon.
Cinnabar Moths seemed to have a good season but despite seeing quite a few, I usually find these difficult to get a good photo of with their habit of usually settling low down in the grass.
A few Cinnabars also turned up in my garden moth trap showing that they also fly at night, and which gave me a better chance for a photo.
Latticed Heaths also tuned up regularly at most of my local sites although usually just a couple each time.
Far less common around my patch, although they can be found at a couple of sites, are Chimney Sweeper Moths. I was chuffed therefore to find a small colony I was unaware of at Sheldon Country Park.
Another species that is not widespread around here is the small but attractive Grass Rivulet. I have only ever seen these at one other site around Solihull so again I was chuffed to find another site for these at Sheldon Country Park. Like many of these day flying moths, they can be difficult to photograph with their habit of settling underneath leaves.
I only usually find the diminutive Small Yellow Underwing at Castle Hills and this remained the case in 2020 with around half a dozen seen each time on a couple of visits.
Not strictly a day flyer but often seen in daylight when it is easily disturbed is the Shaded Broad-bar which was seen in large numbers at Bickenhill and also in lower numbers at most of my other local sites.
Also often disturbed during the day is the attractive Yellow Shell which I saw at a number of sites as well as turning up in my garden moth trap throughout most of the summer.
By the middle of June, the numbers of most of these moths were on the wane and the focus was shifting back to the summer butterflies.
Mind you, some of my moth trapping acquaintances maintain that butterflies are day flying moths anyway, and they actually have a point https://butterfly-conservation.org/news ... utterflies.
After all the wind and rain (and snow on Wednesday night) we had here earlier in the week it has settled down again, but clear skies have meant that temperatures have dropped giving us a good frost this morning (Friday). We also have a weather warning for snow and ice on Sunday morning and it does not look like it will be getting much above freezing for the next few days.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil