Sunshine at last

After stormy, windy and very dark days, there were some long sunny spells on monday and I came across several stirring insects during my daily wanderings. A cold queen Bombus terrestris on the windowsill, with the tiny sprightly springtail, Entomobrya sp, possibly nivalis, on a walkabout around her.
 Then I disturbed a moth in the front garden, the plume moth Amblyptilia acanthadactyla.
But the best find was a very fresh looking peacock settled on the pavement by a fence, with is pictured at the top of the post.

Entomobrya sp.

Bombus terrestris queen.

The plume moth Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Showing its plumes

This Morning Glory Plume Moth was resting on a fence in a unusual posture, showing its feathery hindwings, the reason for its name. Normally, the moth will rest with wings folded and stretched in perpendicular angle to its body, making a T shape. Maybe the breeze disturbed it. I like the shadow of its forewings on the grainy, stained wood. I have found no photos of live E. monodactyla in this position.

Morning-glory plume moth

While gardening this afternoon in the lovely spring weather I disturbed this plume moth, Emmelina monodactyla. She fluttered slowly and settled on the wall adopting its usual T-shape position with folded wings protecting their feathery divisions. The first moth of the year for me.

More information
UKmoths page for Emmelina monodactyla

A new plume moth

Today I came across this plume moth, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla. When I picked it up I thought it was Emmelina monodactyla, a plume moth common in my garden. But the macro shot revealed otherwise: the tufts of scales protruding from the back of the wings are characteristic of the genus Amblyptilia. Its larvae feeds on a range of plants including Hedge Woundwort, Stachys sylvatica, which I have extensively naturalised in my garden to atract the bee Anthophora furcata. It is interesting to see how introducing a single native plant in the garden can result in several bug species becoming more abundant: the woundwort shieldbug, Eysarcoris venustissimus, several other tiny bugs I still have to blog about, and bees, of course, including the Wool Carder bee, Anthidium manicatum. But going back to this moth, it appears to have become more abundant from the 1990s especially in gardens. There are two generations a year, one of them produced in September, hibernates as an adult, so this one, which I disturbed while watering some plants in the garden, has decided it is spring already.

More information in UK Moths