This was on the house wall this morning. It looked completely black to my eyes but after adjusting the light on the photo it showed more detail. I realise there are different forms. Would this be an intermediate between dark and light forms? How common are they in this area, as I've only had the light forms this year and last?
Janice, Milton Keynes
Hi Janice,
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a bit of a half-way house between the two darker forms although closer to f. carbonaria as it has that large white spot where the wing leading edge meets the thorax. The forms seem to be slowly becoming less frequent, which would make sense now that we burn far less coal and our air is much cleaner than it was in Victorian times. Looking at my own recent records, in 2020 I saw two of each form (out of 60 individuals), while in 2019 I saw one carbonaria and four insularia (out of 118 individuals).
...and please record the forms if you see them (as a comment if using iRecord).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dave. Will do.
ReplyDelete