53 Chrysoteuchia culmella.
27 Elephant Hawkmoth (a record).
Now some queries.
Mottled Beauty? Have many Willows, but this looks slightly different.
Now for the dreaded Micros.
Ancylis achatana?
Phycita roborella? Does have thickened base to antenna.
Spilonota laricana? 3 pictures all different moths.
Clepsis consimilana ?
Lastly Ypsolopha sylvella ?
Hello Tony,
ReplyDeleteThe first macro is Willow Beauty, the second might be Slender Pug and the third is Double-striped Pug.
Taking photos of micros from directly above is often not very helpful unless the species rests with its wings flat. In all of the cases above it would have been better to have a good sharp picture taken from about 45 degrees above the moth so that we get a clear view of the markings on one side. That said, three of them are still do-able from your images: the first two are as you say Ancylis achatana and Phycita roborella, while the last one is Homoeosoma sinuella.
Dave any tips on taking photos side on please. For me this means removing the moth from the pot and then praying it doesn't fly,
ReplyDeletewhich it always seems to do.
Photos of moths in pots are unhelpful when it comes to trying to identify them because even in clean pots there is distortion to some degree caused by the glass, the moth often isn't resting as it would do naturally, and the colours may not reproduce accurately. Frisky moths can be calmed down in the 'fridge for a little while with no harm caused to them.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I do - others may have different ways of achieving the same end result! I take photos indoors on a north-facing window-sill (no direct sun, which is important). I have the camera mounted on a small tripod ready to shoot and then tap the pot (with top removed, obviously) fairly forcefully onto a sheet of paper, the size of which means it can easily be turned to get a well-lit side on view without the use of flash (the position of the camera is fairly constrained by the size of the window-sill so it is easier for me to manoeuvre the paper with the moth on it). The act of tapping out the moth is normally sufficient for it to be "stunned" into inactivity for long enough to get a quick snap or two after you've very carefully and slowly removed the pot. If the moth does fly off, 99% of the time it is towards the window where it can easily be recaptured. Of course, some moths won't play ball and it might need quite a bit of patience to get any kind of picture. The pot also needs to be sufficiently large so that when you tap out the moth it can rest comfortably on the sheet of paper (or whatever you use as a base) with the upturned pot still over it. Fairly easy with micros, but more difficult with large geometers!