Is this little guy, disturbed when I was sprinkling compost on the veg patch this afternoon, a Buttoned Snout? It would be a new one for me if so, which would be cheering after the cold and not very rewarding nights. I also disturbed the nice fresh Green Carpet below, by the Oxford canal towpath. Perhaps the moths are giving daytime a go, understandably in current conditions. Martin Wainwright, Thrupp, Oxon.
PS this morning - Saturday 27 April: my debut hawk moths arrived last night, two Poplars which are always the first of the year but have only once come earlier than this since I started light-trapping here in 2013. That was in the sunny 'Pandemic Spring' of 2020 when the first arrived on 26 April. Generally they make it in the first three weeks of May though I have had a start as late as the mid-20s. M.
Yes to Buttoned Snout, Martin. A nice find because in my experience it rarely comes to light (other than lit windows!).
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Dave, as ever. This sort of thing underlies my optimism because the chance coincidence of this moth with someone interested in moths suggests how many Buttoned Snouts must be quietly going about their business away from light traps!
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