Had at least half a dozen Hoary Footman in the trap last night in Sonning - in addition to a similar number of (not at all) Scarce Footman - the first of the year for me. I've only ever had the odd singleton of Hoary Footman before so either they are no longer just a coastal species or they were blown in on the winds last night. What do colleagues think?
Hoary Footman (Footmen?)
Hi Alastair,
ReplyDeleteHoary Footman seems to have been moving away from the coast for quite some years now and must surely be established locally because we get so many reports of them. I do wonder how people are identifying the moths, though. Scarce Footman is so similar in appearance and the yellow on the head and leading edge often fades to make it look similar to Hoary. The safest way is to check the hind-wing (white on Hoary, yellowish on Scarce).
Many thanks - I will make sure I double-check the hindwing
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