There were at least 20 small metallic-looking moths flying in sunshine over the cowslips on the bank in my garden on 8 May 20 - see photo below (cowslip head gives an idea of scale). This looks like Glyphipterix fuscoviridella to me, and there's certainly plenty of Field Wood-rush, its foodplant, growing in my lawn. Confirmation please.
I took the photo below of a small white moth flying in sunshine in the meadow at Homefield Wood on 6 May 20. It really is small, with a forewing length of perhaps 6-7mm. Help with ID please.
Photos of a Large Tortoiseshell seen at Homefield Wood on 6 May 20, added here in response to comments below.
John Clough, Marlow
Hello John,
ReplyDeleteGlyphipterix fuscoviridella looks good to me and it is usually around in large numbers in the right habitat, which your garden seems to be! The other moth is a smart Grass Rivulet. I've had it in moth traps in the BBOWT meadow at Homefield so it is definitely resident there.
Thanks Dave. Very useful reply as always. I see that the Grass Rivulet is not classed as a micro, despite its diminutive size. In fact, it is larger than my estimate above. I should add that I like Homefield Wood very much, and visit often because it is only a 30-minute walk from where I live. On the same afternoon as I saw the Grass Rivulet, I also saw a Large Tortoiseshell in the meadow, the first I have every seen.
ReplyDeleteHave you got a photo of the Tortoiseshell John. That is a remarkable record and there are other similar possibilities.
ReplyDeleteHi Adam, yes, I got several photos, and reported the sighting to Butterfly Conservation, Upper Thames Branch - see link below, which shows one of my pictures. I would attach photos here if I knew how to... I was told that this is the third Large Tortoiseshell to be reported in the Upper Thames region this spring. Patrick Barkham wrote an article in the Guardian recently (28 April 20) saying that there has been something of an influx of this butterfly on the east coast.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.upperthames-butterflies.org.uk/butterfly_sightings
I'm afraid one drawback with Blogger is that it doesn't permit photos to be added to comments. Remember, though, that you can edit your original post if you feel inclined to add (or remove) something at a later date, including pictures. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil symbol at the bottom of each post and will take you back to the composition page.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave. I have added a couple of pictures of the Large Tortoiseshell.
ReplyDelete