Hi Alan, yes to Water Carpet and Ypsolopha mucronella but your Northern Drab looks more like a Common Quaker to me. I don't know about Oxon but in Bucks Northern Drab is very uncommon and restricted to chalk downland. As Mark suggests, the caterpillar is Scarlet Tiger.
I agree with the above. It is too early for Northern Drab especially when the weather has been cold. Can I also ask that you take photos at a less acute angle and avoid placing the specimen on bark as this causes glare. With the Ypsolopha, part of the moth is obscured by the container, so the only way to be sure it isn't a very similar form of Y. ustella (with shorter forewing) is the length of the palps.
Alan, I think the caterpillar is a Scarlet Tiger.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark, Somebody else came up with same ID and, looking it up it does seem to be the Scarlet Tiger.
ReplyDeleteHi Alan, yes to Water Carpet and Ypsolopha mucronella but your Northern Drab looks more like a Common Quaker to me. I don't know about Oxon but in Bucks Northern Drab is very uncommon and restricted to chalk downland. As Mark suggests, the caterpillar is Scarlet Tiger.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave,
ReplyDeleteAlan
I agree with the above. It is too early for Northern Drab especially when the weather has been cold. Can I also ask that you take photos at a less acute angle and avoid placing the specimen on bark as this causes glare. With the Ypsolopha, part of the moth is obscured by the container, so the only way to be sure it isn't a very similar form of Y. ustella (with shorter forewing) is the length of the palps.
ReplyDelete