They look right, but I know nothing about moth ID. I really hope I didn't hurt her.
My friend, who knows about moths, said he thought he saw a huge elephant hawk moth today in my small garden. That would amazing. I will keep my eyes peeled. I have been gently rooting around in leaf litter under the hedges to see what I can see.
I don't either with British moths, some are so similar aren't they? Following your adventure has certainly made me even more interested in our native moths and butterflies Some are just as beautiful as the exotics. I always find it near impossible to identify butterflies in the countryside though, they just never keep still long enough to get a close look! I have deleted many a blurry photo trying, lol.
Agree with @Liriodendron.......fascinating and educational. I only ever seem to see the cabbage white butterflies, although 'm sure there are other varieties as I have a good mixture of plants and two buddleias
Just caught up on this sorry. Definitely a gypsy moth and amazing that the males turned up so soon after she hatched. They're a day flying moth but the females are flightless though so she must have crawled off somewhere which is why you didn't see her flying about.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Are gypsy moths very unusual in the UK? I think she had crawled inside the weaving of the wicker basket. Is there any chance that the eggs might hatch, laid on wicker? Should I try putting in some privet leaves or something else? The fluffiness looks entirely unlikely.
I've found it listed in my book Fire, just spelt as Gipsy instead of Gypsy. It says the caterpillars feed on the leaves of oak, poplar, fruit trees and other deciduous trees but also on conifers. You could put a few twigs of that in once they start to hatch and transfer them to the actual tree once theyre on the leaves; it does say that they hibernate as an egg though so maybe they'll only hatch next spring. It was once thought to be extinct in Britain but now is in a few areas. I was on a site the other day (forestry something or other i think) that said if it's spotted outside of London could you please report it because it can strip trees (I saw that you live in London though and I think the article may sound a bit scaremongery and the butterfly and moth conservation trust probably have a completely different take on it) so that suggests to me that it is only found in localised areas of London. I should imagine the eggs will hatch eventually, they're probably quite cosy under that fluff
It's not mentioned in my British insects book which seems pretty comprehensive for moths and butterflies. It is in another that covers Western Europe though. Given the females are flightless I guess they can't be especially invasive and must be carried around on transported plants?
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Wildedges is right too, it says they are active in the day and the female rarely flies. She would normally have laid her eggs on the bark of a tree. Did you find her near a specific tree? Maybe you could leave your basket under it. It's been great to learn about this moth. I had a little blue butterfly in my garden yesterday but I couldn't identify it because when it was at rest it had its wings up together and too fast and fluttery when flying. I've seen a few moths too, I like to attract moths and butterflies even if they munch through my plants because, besides being beautiful, birds are attracted to the caterpillars and bats to the night flying moths.
Thanks all. The pupa was in the leaf litter under a hedge of climbing hydrangea, star jasmine and silk vine. I can't really put the basket under there as the area is too small and I really value the basket - I've had it all my life. I very much love the idea of hatching new life in it just now. I can just put it in a quiet corner of my loft and keep an eye. Does the fluff need misting or anything, like the pupa?
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