Down at the allotment
Post categories: moths
| 09:15 UK time, Thursday, 8 July 2010
A work colleague of mine - Luke Surrey ran into the office this morning shouting about a giant 'bird like' moth he'd found, with a wingspan the size of a small child's head! ;)
He whipped out his latest gadget - a posh new iPhone to reveal photos of a lovely poplar hawk moth that had taken up residence in his house.
Poplar hawk moth alongside a £2 coin for scale. Image by Dawn Surrey:
This moth is actually one of our commonest. Having said that, I don't think I've ever seen one?
I did spot an amazing hummingbird hawk moth in my own garden a couple of weeks ago though - a tiny little thing I mistook for a bee at first.
Hawk moths are so named because of their ability to fly quickly and in some species (hummingbird hawk moth) actually hover like a hawk. There are 17 species of hawk moth found in the UK, nine of which are resident.
Poplar hawk moth by Dawn Surrey:
The poplar hawk moth is a large brown or grey moth with a wingspan of around 6-9cm and is not easily disturbed during the daytime - hence the nice photos.
The hind wings actually stick out in front of the forewings when it's resting because it has no 'frenulum' which is a small hook that normally supports and holds the wings in position.
The caterpillars are green with faint red spots and a yellow diagonal stripe along the sides. At the head is a green horn which occasionally has a red tip. They feed on tree foliage - poplar, aspen and sallow as well as other shrubs.
This particular moth has been relocated and was last seen on a water butt in Luke's allotment so it's caterpillars shouldn't go hungry ;)
If you've seen any hawk moths or other colourful species of moth in your house or garden then I'd love to hear from you.
Email your pics to wales.nature@bbc.co.uk and I will feature the best ones in this blog.
You can, as always submit pics to our too.
thanks
Gull
He whipped out his latest gadget - a posh new iPhone to reveal photos of a lovely poplar hawk moth that had taken up residence in his house.
Poplar hawk moth alongside a £2 coin for scale. Image by Dawn Surrey:
This moth is actually one of our commonest. Having said that, I don't think I've ever seen one?
I did spot an amazing hummingbird hawk moth in my own garden a couple of weeks ago though - a tiny little thing I mistook for a bee at first.
Hawk moths are so named because of their ability to fly quickly and in some species (hummingbird hawk moth) actually hover like a hawk. There are 17 species of hawk moth found in the UK, nine of which are resident.
Poplar hawk moth by Dawn Surrey:
The poplar hawk moth is a large brown or grey moth with a wingspan of around 6-9cm and is not easily disturbed during the daytime - hence the nice photos.
The hind wings actually stick out in front of the forewings when it's resting because it has no 'frenulum' which is a small hook that normally supports and holds the wings in position.
The caterpillars are green with faint red spots and a yellow diagonal stripe along the sides. At the head is a green horn which occasionally has a red tip. They feed on tree foliage - poplar, aspen and sallow as well as other shrubs.
This particular moth has been relocated and was last seen on a water butt in Luke's allotment so it's caterpillars shouldn't go hungry ;)
If you've seen any hawk moths or other colourful species of moth in your house or garden then I'd love to hear from you.
Email your pics to wales.nature@bbc.co.uk and I will feature the best ones in this blog.
You can, as always submit pics to our too.
thanks
Gull
Comments Post your comment