Comparisons

Better numbers of moths last night for the time of year, with 55 of 18 different species. Amongst these were some crowd-pleasers featuring the typical hairy look characteristic of the cool Spring nights.

Pale Tussock (female)

Pale Tussock (female)

Muslin Moth (male)

Also, some moths that are simply beautiful … the stunning Pine Beauty, in fact:

Pine Beauty

A subtle March Moth:

All these are lovely, but what I enjoyed most this morning was seeing several very similar moths alongside each other from which to make comparisons.

First up, the Swallow Prominents. These come in two species forms: Swallow Prominent and Lesser Swallow Prominent. Here they are in that order left to right:

Swallow Prominent (L) and Lesser Swallow Prominent (R)

The usual distinction is in the size and clarity of the white ‘dagger’ mark on the trailing edge of the forewing – short and bright white in Lesser; longer and less distinct in standard. Whilst these two examples are distinct, it’s not always so easy to tell them apart, especially when you don’t have both alongside each other and when the dagger is ‘sort of shortish’, or ‘kind of white’ as it so often is! So today I took the trouble to read the fieldguide properly and noted that there is also a distinction in the (hidden) hindwing. Here they are alongside each other again in the same order:

SP

Lesser SP

The distinguishing mark is the dark blotch in the trailing corner of the wing, which has a white line through it in the standard Swallow Prominent and has no line in the Lesser. Here they are magnified:

I’m sure that for many mothers this is old news, but for me it was an interesting discovery, and one that will help in the future when the difference in forewing is not so clear cut.

Also worth comparing were some of the Quaker moths that are in the trap at this time of year. The Common Quaker – which is common! – is a brownish moth with distinct, pale-ringed kidney markings on the wing. It comes in all different shades though and, at this time of year, in many different sizes too. It’s sometimes hard therefore to be sure it’s not Powdered Quaker or Small Quaker, where colour and size can overlap respectively.

Here then, are a couple of comparisons as I had all three this morning. Firstly, Powdered (top) against a Common (bottom) chosen because its overall colour was similar.

Powdered (top) and Common (bottom)

And here’s the Powdered on its own, a lovely, subtle moth that looks like it’s been showered with talcum powder over a sprinkling of fine black scales:

Powdered Quaker

Then, Small Quaker … which I think of like a Powdered, often looking ‘dusted’, but much smaller, with indistinct kidney markings:

Small Quaker

Though I don’t have a comparison shot for size, it is approximately relative to the image above in the sense that the camera lens was equidistant from both.

It’s great to see these moths alongside each other, especially at this time of year when I’m reminded that I’m still a relative novice with moths, having started trapping in 2016. Each Spring I find myself having to seek reminders of what is what; getting my eye in so to speak. Comparisons like these bring the fieldguides alive and really help. May the good weather continue for a while as the moths build up.