Saturday 6 February 2010

New Moth

Just as I was preparing to make dinner tonight I spotted a moth on the outside of the kitchen window. Careful angling of the flash enabled me to get this shot of a male Early Moth - Theria primaria:

This is a Hawthorn/Blackthorn associate, usually found in January/February, and is another new species for my list.

4 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

Just paying you a return call Stuart - shall put you on my blog list as our interests seem to be similar (apart from moths - I have a terrible phobia about moths even when they are on the other side of the glass, or camera lens).

Stuart said...

Welcome, Pat. I'm delighted to see someone else looking at the small stuff (which is often much more beautiful than we imagine). How do you feel about butterflies? The difference between moths and butterflies is largely a matter of interpretation, and some of the moths are most certainly as beautiful as butterflies.

Yoke, said...

Great photos of the pockets in the leaf of the new Moss. When you say it is unknown to the area; does this mean Donegal, or your particular area?

I'm love things like lichens too, but still need to learn a lot, but that's the fun of what's nature has to offer, around us. always something new.

Stuart said...

Mosses and liverworts (in common with many other plants) can show a distinct preference for either acidic or alkaline soils. We are strongly acidic here, so I normally expect to see mosses that prefer an acidic environment. I quite often find alkaline ones on paths or on mortar on stone walls because of the artificial lime introduction: our nearest natural limestone is some 25k away. I have discovered, though, that some 'alkaline' species grow locally where there is isolation from the local soil, such as on this exposed rocky outcrop. I suppose that some species which are declared to prefer alkaline environments are actually nutrient intolerant, which is why I can find them in a few places here.