More than Moths

Wednesday, December 14th 2016

A Wednesday and therefore a morning for moth recording! This morning we collected four winter moths (a regular at this time of year) and this early moth, Theria primaria. This one is a male, as like many moths that are active in the winter months the females are almost wingless.

Early moths are fairly common in the south, but up here in North Yorkshire their distribution is quite patchy, so this was a more unusual find. The early moth is also not typically around at this time of year, normally found flying in January and February, hence its common name of early moth. Finding it at this time of the year only shows us how mild the weather has been recently. The larvae of the early moth feed on hawthorn and blackthorn.

All five of the moths we recorded this morning we collected from the walls of the Field Centre, however the moth trap was not without a catch… In addition to a typical collection of small flies it caught this female great diving beetle (differentiated from a male by the ridges on her wing cases – a male’s would be smooth)!


(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:


Leave a Comment:

Please complete this field, it's required. Your email address will not be displayed but it's required.

Your email address will not be displayed but it's required.

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?


Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events


Reserve Access: Open

Wednesday 4th June 2025 |

Access is currently as normal and the reserve and field centre are open as usual.



June Wellbeing Wander

Friday 20th June 2025 | 2pm-3pm

Join us on a nature-based wellbeing walk around the reserve.

Having a sense of place and connectedness, being grounded is important for our general wellbeing and mental health. This is an invitation to pause and explore what being in nature can offer you.

Enjoy an afternoon of wellbeing starting with some mind awareness followed by a gentle walk where you get to listen, smell and watch what is around you and connect with any feelings which arise.

Bookings close 19th June.

For more information and to book your place, visit Foxglove Covert's Eventbrite pagefoxglovecovertlnr.eventbrite.com 



VIEW ALL EVENTS

Recent Blog Posts

Blog Archive