Tuesday 5 June 2018

Marsh Pug and other day flying moths of the limestone grassland

I spent the afternoon exploring the edges of the Via Gellia looking mainly for orchids, which I've posted above but also some of our day flying moths.
I have looked many times for the Marsh Pug which is very thinly distributed in Derbyshire and was very pleased to finely catch up with one today. In some parts of the country they are quite a dark moth but in Derbyshire they are this pale tawny brown. They feed on Field Mouse-ear as larva and I suspect that it what this adult has settled on.
Marsh Pug 
In the same area there were a lot of Grass Rivulet including a rather dark barred individual which is unlike any I have previously see. 


Grass Rivulets typical example at the top and a dark barred individual below

The striking Wood Tiger was also on the wing in good numbers, looking like many had recently emerged. I was also surprised to see the Cistus Forester at several locations and in reasonable numbers so it looks like they are having a good year.
Wood Tiger

Cistus Forester
Finally I saw one or two Mother Shipton with its striking wing markings.
Mother Shipton

Walking around some fields had almost no insects and a very  few plant species and others were a riot of colour with a variety of plant species including several orchids and it was in these fields that the moths were to be found.

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