Moths are on schedule, including March Moth:
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| March Moth (male) |
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| Clouded Drab |
It seems that this specimen has been reading the books for a change, because it is a perfect match for one of the images in the standard reference. All of my previous photographs show specimens that look nothing like the reference images.
Both of these moths are feeders on Willow catkins as an adult, and feed on a wide range of broad-leaf plants as a larva.
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| Ptychoptera contaminata |
Today also brought out my first specimen of Small Tortoiseshell butterfly:
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
I spotted this early instar of the Garden Tiger moth caterpillar wandering across a path. The image shows a few of the long white hairs which will become a feature in later instars.
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| Larva of Garden Tiger moth |
I was on the road quite a bit today and noticed a Sycamore and Horse Chestnut in leaf, a couple of 'white' butterflies flying over verges and Cow Parsley and Sow Thistles in flower. What an amazing spring.
2 comments:
Spring must have reached you in Donegal well before us here in North Yorkshire Stuart. Dog violets are just beginning to come out under the hedges and I saw the first marsh marigold this week. Here and there the hawthorn is showing green in the hedges and the wild gooseberry is in flower. Nettles are about two inches high and of the cow parsley there is only a very short sign.
I don't often comment on your blog but I do always read it.
I haven't seen any dog violets in my bit of Yorkshire, Weaver, but the sweet violets - both purple and white - are absolutely fabulous near Castle Howard. Stuart is usually a bit ahead of us at this time of year (but I expect we will catch up later).
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