The leaves are not yet out, but the sunshine is dazzling. So much extraordinary, unmitigated light is flooding me in a kind of shiney March madness. Everything is bare and beautiful, raw and stark and shadowless.
The bright early spring has tempted me to start mothing earlier than usual. The nights are still frosty, but some wonderful moths are flying already. Most early moths have over wintered as adults and tend to be restful shades of brown and grey to avoid predation. I have found modest quakers, hebrew characters and brindled beauties. This speckled specimen reminds me of a garibaldi biscuit as it scuttles quickly under the few emergent leaves to wait out the bright spring sunshine until peaceful night time.
Wonderful photo! I love that you care so much about and appreciate the moths. So many folks praise the butterflies but forget about the just-as-beautiful moths. They are becoming endangered here. Their counts are down.
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I like their mystery !
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Garibaldi biscuit- such a pertinent description!
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I doubt it is as tastey!
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I’m always surprised at how many different moths there are, and how colourful many of them are. xx
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The summer moths are more showy generally, but I like the muted colours of the early moths too. X
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Such a beautiful photo!
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Thank you . Some are now in a flower pot, slowly germinating.
Just realised this response was about the photo of the moth not the acorns!!! The moth has flown safely away has not germinated at all!
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The moth appears quite podgy against those I usually see, the wings especially so. Your photo gives quigte a lot of brindled and fluffy detail.
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They are attracted to a special light and then they fall down into a bucket filled with old egg boxes. The moths then hide in the boxes and I carefully take them out in the morning. By this stage they are cool and calm and easy to photograph and identify. I guess you are usually seeing them with wings spred out fluttering in the evening. They are the same moths, just calmer!🦋
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