Monday, 3 April 2017

Pyraustas and Cosmets

Common Purple and Gold, Pyrausta purpuralis
April 1st is the first day of the butterfly transect season, so every week for the next 26 weeks I follow the same route at Mill Hill, north of Shoreham and record the number of butterflies of each species I pass in each of 8 sections comprising different habitats and micro-climates. This is my 7th year of recording this site. My previous results are summarised here: Mill Hill transect results 2011-2016
  
On Saturday I did my first transect walk of the year at Mill Hill: Red Admiral, Peacock (7), Small Tortoiseshell. Five micro-moths were out at the bottom of the hill: Common Purple and Gold, Straw-barred Pearl, Little Roller and both cosmets: Violet Cosmet, and Scarce Violet Cosmet. I didn’t realise I had both cosmets until I studied the photos and noticed one had distinctive white bands on the antennae (Violet Cosmet) whereas Scarce Violet Cosmet males have no bands, and in females the antenna is very thick behind the bands else the bands are lower on the antennae.
Blistered Cup, Peziza vesiculosa

Blistered Cups
This large fungus grows on compost heaps and similar decaying plant material

Buzzard with rabbit.

Harlequin Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis

Little Roller, Ancylis comptana

view over the River Adur to the sea

Peacock, Inachis io

Scarce Violet Cosmet, Pancalia schwarzella

Violet Cosmet, Pancalia leuwenhoekella with white bands near the end of the antennae

Straw-barred Pearl, Pyrausta despicata

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