One of the most common caterpillars on my patch is the Garden Tiger moth: they're all over the higher-level plants. This is the first time I've seen the wonderful adult, however:
The white plume moth is the White Plume Moth - Pterophorus pentadactyla, which feeds on Convolvulus (and is one of the few micromoths with a common name). This is another first for me:
And another new first for me is the Satin Beauty - Deileptenia ribeata, which feeds on Norway Spruce. Unsurprisingly, this is an increasing species:
Just for the record, a July Highflyer:
Just for the record, a July Highflyer:
And to finish off for today, my favourite flower, Slender St. John's Wort:
4 comments:
I love your blog - great photos!
The Tiger I still have to see, the White plume is gorgeous, isn't it? Saw one here last year inside the kitchen. Very delicate.
Love the top photo with the two species together.
The Highflyer is lovely looking too.
And St. john's wort is sentimental too me, grew in front of my previous house. (which we had to leave due to my wheels.
What book on Insects would you advice for an amateur like me. (http://wildlifeonwheels) Between fieldgide and big textbook, and not too pricey for one on a disability pension. Any ideas? I have a Moth fieldgide.
Caroline: Thanks for that....keep looking in...:)
Yoke: The Collins 'Field Guide to insects of Britain and northern Europe' by Michael Chinery is the next step up. Beyond that you need to go to monographs which cost anything from £5 to £50 each. If you consider flies (maybe 20 monographs), hoverflies (2 essential volumes) bees and wasps (maybe another 20), beetles (the standard reference costs around £1200), bugs, butterflies, lichens, mosses and liverworts, dragonflies and damsels, spiders, micromoths (micromoth refs are around £500 in total)....you get the idea.... So Chinery is the only way to go.
Just to give you an idea, I have a series of monographs on just one genus of fungi (Entoloma). They total some 1600 pages....
Why do you think I asked you, Stuart? I knew that I'd need a room full of books on just all 'flies' etc.
The Collins would be a good start for me.
Thanks!
I knew you'd have or at least need a library full of just only natural history books. And
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