Thursday 18 June 2020

Autumn Almanac - The Kinks

 From the dew-soaked hedge creeps a crawly caterpillar
When the dawn begins to crack, it's all part of my autumn almanac
Breeze blows leaves of a musty-colored yellow
So I sweep them in my sack, yes, yes, yes, it's my autumn almanac
It is true that one can get a little possessive about one's
Own Patch
but when, who I refere to as 'luminaries' arrive somehow that becomes insignificant!
The rest of the weekend continued in the company of
 Phil, Carol and Dave
and while all of this is the profession of Phil we all learn something at the end of the day - especially me!
Phil, among many other tallents is the author of the authoritative work

tiny beasts that I can hardly see let alone identify but
every dog has it's day!
 Is it any wonder then that he has recently published yet another work on the

a task that took 4 years in the makeing - no I'll stick to the larger
Macro Moths.
Additionally, when we all muster like this all the traps become a collective of which
here between presenting my 'new toys' there are a few more examples of 
some of the Insects caught.
BARRED STRAW
CAMPION
OBSCURE WAINSCOT
 RED-NECKED FOOTMAN
 It was half way through one of my own traps that Phil suddenly looked a little sheepish, 
inviting Dave and I to look at the 2 specimens of Micro Moths each in a little plastic pot,
 one being
Metalampra italica
 and the other
Monochroa lutulentelia
(very few of the Micro Moths have vernacular names)
Among a wealth of other snippets he felt sure that
BARBASTELLE BAT
(a Mammal never heard of let alone seen)
may well feed or indeed exist locally here and a species that will fly 30 or 40 miles 
to find an Insect food source.
 His final snippet was that
NIGHTJAR's,
of which you have become familiar with lately, are
faddy eater sticking almost exclusively to the humble
TRUE LOVER'S KNOT MOTH
which was scientifically discovered by study of their faeces and a
serious attempt will be made to find some when the nest becomes rdundant.