This morning the lawn was spangled with light emerald moths, caught in the grassy dew and just waiting for the climbing sun to dry them out.
The moth trap was also full of them and it seemed as if every blue wall was studded with them . Their colour fades until they can be as pale as paper, but the white line across the wings is always diagnostic.
September is a cross over month. The summer Jersey Tigers and Large yellow underwings are still here and the yellow shells are still flying, but the autumn pinions, snouts and marbled carpets are turning up too. Some caterpillars are eating voraciously, hoping to make cocoons that will over winter in the leaf litter to provide us with the moths and butterflies of next season. The more I find out about moths, the more I realise that so many species over winter on the ground in leaf litter and hedges, which makes me even more determined not to tidy up my garden completely, but to leave plenty of “scruffy “ overgrown places for the cocoons to survive.
We have to resist the urge to tidy, trim and blow if there is to be any wildlife left.
That said; I am struggling not to move this knotgrass caterpillar off my rhubarb plant. I want the moth and my rhubarb to survive!
The eternal dilemma of the green gardener!
Interesting post. I’m going to leave more of the plot flower areas this year and won’t clear them until late winter or early spring. xx
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The moths will love you! Xx
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I agree, we have to accept less than perfect. Amelia
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It’s so true that the more familiar we become with all the creations in our midst, the more we learn about them and want to embrace their survival. Your knowledge of the moths and caterpillars is impressive, Cathy. And those emeralds are beautiful and elegant.
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I wish I could agree with you, but I know so little and I don’t have the intensity to become an expert! 🦋🦋
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