Butterflies and moths

[brogdale]

View attachment 329514

Small blue?

Male Common Blue, I think.
Nice.

 

[chainsawjob]

Male Common Blue, I think.
Nice.

Thanks. There were lots of them flying around in the bracken.

 

[Callie]

View attachment 329461

I dunno what one that is?!

Very faded figure 80??

 

[gentlegreen]

I dunno what one that is?!

Very faded figure 80??

Oh yes - I see what you mean
What a curious little marking

Tethea ocularis - Google Search

 

[chainsawjob]

 

[bimble]

can we talk about the hummingbird hawk moth?

It has entirely blown my mind since noticing last week for first time, upon which I basically googled wtf is this looks like a tiny hummingbird uk

 

[Callie]

can we talk about the hummingbird hawk moth?

It has entirely blown my mind since noticing last week for first time, upon which I basically googled wtf is this looks like a tiny hummingbird uk

They're amazing. Never seen one in my garden but have tried to add butterfly and moth attracting food plants. Have had some success....mainly with mint moth and I am going to take the clearwing as my effort even though the apple tree has been here way longer than me

Every time I think about the garden visitors it just makes me want to go buy more plants though!

 

[bimble]

they are amazing, saw it / one again today. The energy it must take to hover still like that with your proboscus out and then when moving between flowers it is so FAST.

 

[Leafster]

I've had hummingbird hawk moths in my garden once or twice. They seem to like the Verbena Bonariensis. I'm sure I tried to take photos and I thought I had at least one blurry one but I can't find it.

ETA: Ah , found it.



Not one of my best photos!

 

[bimble]

maybe its that, plenty of verbena b here. they really like the trumpety shaped things too like foxgloves, get their hoover right in there.

 

[andysays]

I saw a hummingbird hawk moth in my local park a few years ago while doing a butterfly and moth survey.

It was in a wildflower meadow area which included Lady's Bedstraw (Galium verum), which is one of the caterpillar food plants. Others are Hedge Bedstraw (Galium album), Wild Madder (Rubia peregrina) and Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber).

They are pretty special.

 

[brogdale]

Loads of lovely Peacocks on my South Swale walk today...

 

[chainsawjob]

I was trying to photograph dragonflies the other day, not with much success! It was a beautiful blue colour though.

 

[chainsawjob]

In our house this evening.

 

[Leafster]

This popped up on my Instagram. Far better video of a hummingbird hawk moth than I could ever dream of making

 

[moose]

Yet again, two moths saw fit to join me in the bath last night. It didn't go well for one of them - every time I fished it out, it plunged back in. Why do they do this?

 

[chainsawjob]

 

[chainsawjob]

View attachment 332438

Speckled wood I think. Couldn't get a pic with it's wings open.

 

[Epona]

Speckled wood I think. Couldn't get a pic with it's wings open.

Yes I believe so, I saw some of those last week when I was doing an invertebrate survey They have that whole dead leaf camouflage thing going on when they are landed like that

 

[Callie]

Found this on the pavement on my way home...sadly passed. I think it's a gothic moth??

 

[Callie]

Nice brimstone moth hanging out on my front door earlier!

 

[gentlegreen]

Not very "red"

 

[Callie]

Bit blurry though

 

[gentlegreen]

Bit blurry though

The buggers were sneaky today - I had to creep up on them.
I had another species actually land on my leg and was off before I could get my camera out

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

Been a good summer for em so far in our garden.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

 

[Epona]

Nice Comma I think there in the 2nd & 3rd pics Shippou-Sensei

 

[campanula]

Yep, there has been a second brood of commas (at least on my allotment) - absolutely loads of them.

A poplar hawk moth landed on the back of my neck as I was bending over for a wee (in the wood). Leakage occurred. And screaming.

 

[Epona]

Yep, there has been a second brood of commas (at least on my allotment) - absolutely loads of them.

A poplar hawk moth landed on the back of my neck as I was bending over for a wee (in the wood). Leakage occurred. And screaming.

ty for confirming my ID! Since I started doing environmental stuff (biodiversity surveys etc.) I am finding a lot of old knowledge that I had stashed away somewhere in the depths of the old noggin is reawakening, along with some new stuff being learned - love this thread and the bird watching one particularly in terms of getting some exercise at that iykwim.

 

[gentlegreen]

So apparently commas like nettles ... which makes sense as the closest species to hops (and weed) in my (doubtless out of date) book.
In my garden it's hop and comma central ...

The most widely used foodplant is Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Other species used include Hop (Humulus lupulus), elms (Ulmus spp.), currants (Ribes spp.), and Willows (Salix spp).

Urticales - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org