Moths

Hawkmoth (Privet)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:21:56 +0000

The Privet Hawkmoth is the largest native moth species in England and can be found in woodlands and in wetland with grassy vegetations. Sometimes it can be seen resting on fences and tree trunks in gardens around June to July.

The Privet Hawkmoth has a black head with two white antennae and an abdomen that is pink with black stripes running across it. The hindwings also have pink and black stripes, but they are often concealed by the forewings which are usually a light pink-brown colour with black lines.

Female Privet Hawkmoths lay their eggs on privets and the eggs hatch around July and August. A bright green caterpillar with lilac and white stripes on the sides of its body emerges out of each egg. It also has a white black-bordered face and a curved black horn at the rear of its body. After approximately four weeks, the caterpillar starts to turn brown and this is when it burrows under topsoil where it creates a loosely woven cocoon around itself. It hibernates under the soil until the following summer and then transforms itself into a beautiful Privet Hawkmoth.

Moth (Dark Bordered Beauty)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:22:23 +0000

The Dark Bordered Beauty Moth is a small and rare moth found in small colonies only at Strensall Common in Yorkshire and in Newham Bog in Northumberland in England. It can be seen in July and August in damp sites such as lightly wooded wet heathlands, damp grasslands and damp woodlands.

The male Dark Bordered Beauty Moth has yellow-orange wings with reddish brown mottling and the female has lighter yellow coloured wings with reddish brown mottling. Both the male and the female have a reddish brown border that runs evenly along the edge of each wing. Male moths like to fly around at dawn and dusk, whereas the females tend to be less mobile and are not seen very often.

Female Dark Bordered Beauty Moths lay their eggs on the leaves of creeping willow shrubs around July to August where the eggs lay dormant for about nine months. In May or June a greyish brown caterpillar with a white and violet underside hatches out of each egg. The caterpillar forms a cocoon by spinning a silk case around itself and attaches itself either on a food plant or in debris below the food plant. Inside the cocoon the caterpillar transforms itself into a beautiful Dark Bordered Beauty Moth.

Moth (Garden Tiger)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:23:49 +0000

The Garden Tiger Moth is a striking looking moth that is common throughout England, although it has started to decline in the south-east. It can be seen in damp meadows, scrubland, grassland, parks and gardens around June to August. It usually flies very late at night and is very rarely seen in the day.

Each Garden Tiger Moth seems to have its own individual appearance because no two moths look exactly alike. However, most of these moths have forewings which are a chocolate-brown colour with lots of white lines running through them and the hindwings are usually a spectacular reddish orange colour with black spots. Sometimes the hindwings can be a yellow or light brown colour.

The female Garden Tiger Moth lays her eggs on the underside of a variety of leaves such as nettle, dock, honeysuckle leaves and on garden plants. A very hairy black or brown caterpillar emerges from each egg and because of all the hairs it is often referred to as the ‘woolly bear’. These hairs can cause skin rashes on humans. The caterpillar hibernates over winter and then forms a cocoon by spinning a silk case around itself and attaches itself among vegetation. A month later a beautiful Garden Tiger Moth emerges out of the cocoon.

Moth (Grey Dagger)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:22:51 +0000

The Grey Dagger Moth is common throughout England and is a ‘noctuid’ moth which means it is active at night. It can be found in hedgerows, parks, gardens, woodlands, heathland and grassland between June to August, but sometimes a second generation of this moth can be seen in September or October.

The Grey Dagger Moth’s forewings can either be a grey-white or a dark grey colour and this moth gets its name because of its distinctive black dagger-shaped markings on its forewings. The hindwings of the female are usually dark grey, whereas the hindwings of the male are a lighter grey.

The female Grey Dagger Moth lays her eggs on a variety of trees such as the blackthorn, hawthorn, apple, birch, elm and rowan tree. Around late July to early October a bluish black coloured caterpillar with a distinctive hump in its back hatches out of each egg. It also has a broad yellow stripe running along its back and red spots along its sides. The underside is a whitish colour. The caterpillar forms a cocoon by spinning a silk case around itself and hides under loose bark or rotten wood. It hibernates over winter in the cocoon and then transforms itself into a beautiful Grey Dagger Moth.

Moth (Large Emerald)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:23:19 +0000

The Large Emerald Moth can be seen throughout England in woodlands, heathlands, grasslands, parks, hedgerows and gardens from June to August. It flies at night and is attracted to light, like other moths. This moth is often confused for a butterfly because of its uniform green colouring and shape.

The Large Emerald Moth is a light green colour, but when it first emerges from its cocoon, it is very bright green which fades after a few days. It has a wingspan of around six centimetres and its wings have broken white lines running near the edges of them. This moth doesn’t close its wings when it rests like other moths do, but keeps them outspread and flat.

The female Large Emerald Moth lays her eggs on the leaves of hazel, birch, alder and beech trees. When a caterpillar first emerges out of an egg, it is green. However, it soon changes to a brown colour so it can be better camouflaged when hibernating through the winter. It attaches itself onto a twig or a branch and develops little brown lumps on its back so it looks even more like a twig. It forms a cocoon by spinning a silk case around itself and in spring it transforms itself into a beautiful Large Emerald Moth.