15 July 2012
The weather forecast was not good for the weekend, but it turned out to be somewhat pessimistic and while much of the rest of Britain suffered heaps of rain the North Norfolk Coast was spared. Given the rain free conditions The One Stop Nature Shop set up a Skinner Moth Trap in a small garden in Shouldham.
Here are a few of the moths that were caught, and released the following evening:
This
Buff Tip moth is camouflaged to look like a broken stick and it aligns itself along a branch to best effect. This is a common moth but an absolutely fantastic example of evolution and when you view the head front on, below, it looks amazing.
The trap had lots of different species and identifying them was a challenge for a beginner, though some did live up to their name, below this is "
The Spectacle" for obvious reasons. Quite a small moth and for a while I didn't see it head on, but with a magnifier the head pattern was revealed.
And then there were the Hawk Moths, three species, a beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth, above and a Lime Hawk Moth below.
But most cryptic of all was the
Poplar Hawk Moth, a big moth which mimic dead Poplar leaves. It has a red spot on the hind wing and when disturbed flashes this to startle any attacker. Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture as it closed it's wing too quickly.
It's quite incredible how many moths are around that we would never get to see unless using a trap like the
Skinner Trap. Mains run and safe to the moths, which are released the following evening, just £149 can get you into this fascinating hobby. Available of course from
The One Stop Nature Shop along with a wide range of moth books and charts.
