Last year Martin Wainwright kindly gave me some of his Emperor Moth cocoons. They have been in my garden shed ever since, but I have been checking on them fairly regularly these last couple of weeks. This Monday 13th April I checked as usual, and found a beautiful female had just emerged.
Below are a couple of pictures.
I am hoping that she will attract some day-flying males into the garden. However, as yet, her charms have gone unnoticed by the boys.
Steve Trigg, Cookham
That's good news, Steve! I've got quite a few pupae myself which are showing no signs of emergence yet. It will probably be a late season for them this year anyway. Provided you bring her indoors overnight you can probably keep trying out in your garden for four or five days without the need to release her (they don't feed).
ReplyDeleteHi Steve - I'm so pleased that my amazing lady visitor last year is spreading her brood over Oxfordshire and beyond. Thanks too for reminding me about my cocoons; I've checked and none have hatched yet. Thanks for the tips, too, Dave. I've finally got my trap back in action and will be posting again very soon. All warm wishes Martin
ReplyDelete