I was surprised to see this old lady flying across the street in Crowmarsh Gifford last sunday. Marc Botham tells me it is early for this species. Managed to get this photo from the undergrowth. David Roy
In Berkshire the records of Old Lady start in early June, with a small peak in mid-July and then a much larger peak in late August. I interpret this as evidence that this is one of the small number of moths that aestivates; that is, it emerges in the summer but spends the first part of its adult life hiding away in the undergrowth or in outbuildings etc., becoming more active in late summer (aestivation = the opposite of hibernation).
In Berkshire the records of Old Lady start in early June, with a small peak in mid-July and then a much larger peak in late August. I interpret this as evidence that this is one of the small number of moths that aestivates; that is, it emerges in the summer but spends the first part of its adult life hiding away in the undergrowth or in outbuildings etc., becoming more active in late summer (aestivation = the opposite of hibernation).
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