Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Out with the Old, In with the New

The overnight temperature on 30th December was forecast to be no lower than 9 degrees and so I decided to run my last moth-trap of 2018. When I checked the contents on the morning of the 31st December, there was just one moth present. It was not the expected Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata) or Mottled Umber (Erannis defoliaria) but a fresh emergent for the new season.
 
The Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) is one of our earliest moths to emerge and is generally on the wing from January to March. For a grey moth, it is quite attractively marked and the abdomen has a pinkish hue. The females are flightless. 
 
 
Pale Brindled Beauty (Phigalia pilosaria) (male)
 


 

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