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Here, found
in July 2000, is the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk Moth (Deilephila
elpenor - fam Sphingidae).. Its about 80mm in length. We
found this on some leaves in the alder carse at the bottom of field
two. It looks quite gruesome but the "eye" is designed
to frighten predators away. The books tell us that its favourite
food is Willowherb. But there wasn't any of that nearby, so it had
to make do with alder.
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It
has taken us another year to find the moth itself,again in July,
but the joy of owning Quoditch is that there is always something
new to discover. Each year another plant or creature reveals itself
for the first time.
In real life
it is far more beautiful than this picture suggests.
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This
is a Riband Wave moth (Idaea aversata ab remutata - fam geometridae)
which we found on the bark of a tree in field four in July 2001. |
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This is a male Four Dotted Footman moth (Cybosia Mesomella), not to be confused with the Four SPOTTED Footman moth (Lithosia quadra)!. We found this one in June 2007. Our thanks to John Randall for identifying it. |
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The next five moths are ones that
we have found near Quoditch. They had been attracted by a light
and were resting inside.
This one is a Poplar Hawk Moth Laothoe
populi (fam - Sphingidae )
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This one we believe
to be a Buff Ermine Spilosoma luteum (fam - Arctiidae ) although
the books show it to be a bit paler than this.
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| We recently found a Garden Tiger
Moth Arctia caja (fam - arctiidae)and were able to photograph
it both open and closed. We also have them at Quoditch. Their caterpillars
are brown and furry and, when we were children in the last century,
were known as "Woolly Bears". We are reliably informed that
although they are quite common in parts of the country they are now
getting scarcer in Devon. This one is around only in July and the
first half of August. It's really a deep chocolate brown and cream
rather than the black and white of our photo but is very distinctive. |
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Mike Chittenden of Kent kindly wrote
to us to identify this as a "Mottled Beauty"
(Alcis repanda - fam geometridae)
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| and this one as a "Willow
Beauty" (peribatodes rhomboidaria f. perfumaria). Many
thanks Mike. |
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| On June 7th 2008 we spotted a Burnet Companion, which did not want its photo taken and this Common Carpet Moth Epirrhoe alternata (1738) |
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Page last updated 11th June 2008
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