Early Moths

What a contrast to last year! It has been incredibly dry, lots of sun in April, and with temperatures in the high 20s it has boosted certain species, like Poplar Hawk moth below, to appear earlier than we normally get in the moth trap.

What I will say is the numbers have been fairly low, but certainly the beauty of these moths are the bonus, and we have to remember it is early May.

Grey Dagger, above

Pale Tussock

Scalloped Hazel

Green Carpet

Small Phoenix, with church window beautiful wings

Amongst other moths; Common Carpet, White Ermine, etc.

The by-catch of the moth trap is the various other mini beasts such as Cockchafer Beetle, or the May Bug due to its emergence in May.

They are large, brown beetles who spend the first few years of their lives as larvae underground. They mostly come out after the sun has set and can be seen flying around streetlights and lighted windows.

Black Burying Beetle

The other Beetle of note is the (Nicrophorus humator) is a carrion beetle commonly found in the UK. It's the only entirely black burying beetle species in Britain, with only orange tips on its antennae. Like most beetles they are strong fliers. These beetles are known for their parental care, with both parents caring for the larvae after they hatch. They are strong fliers and have an excellent sense of smell, which helps them locate dead animals to bury.

They appear to be carrying parasitic mites, Parasitus coleoptratorum, however from the information researched it appears they use the beetles as a form of transport to carrion for their young to feed on eggs of other insects, such as fly eggs.