Friday 18 February 2022

MOTHS

Last year I took numerous photos of moths, but hesitated to post  them without knowing their ID. I saw them during the day time, as I don't have a moth trap, but it was not my intention to look especially for moths, rather a pleasurable encounter, just by chance. Moths are so difficult to identify, so I will only name the ones I think I know first. Research  has helped a little, but as there are so many different kinds of moths, it has been a difficult task, in which I have failed miserably. I hope you enjoy these images, and just maybe you know some of them.


Chickweed Geometor Moth


Hummingbird Hawk-Moth


Minsmere Crimson Underwing    Catocala conjuncta


Such a pretty, and delicate looking moth.


The Common Emerald


The Peach Blossom  Thyatiridae


 The Yellow Shell Moth
They can be variable in appearance


The Yellow Shell Moth
There appear to be small eggs on the branch.


The Male Yellow Tailed Moth, photographed on my balcony.

 
The Passenger Moth    Dysgonia algiro


A tiny moth, which could be a Dock Moth. 


The Passenger Moth   Dysgonia algira                  



Another yellow shell moth.
 They are the ones I see most frequently, and they do look like shells  you find on the beach


Broad - bordered Yellow Underwing    Noctua fimbriata






Blairs Mocha   Cyclophora puppillaria



I have added this one, which I have had in the archives a long time.





  Minsmere Crimson  Underwing


33 comments:

Marit said...

Hello Sonjia :)

You have taken many beautiful photos of Moths. They have a wonderful pattern on their wings. Your balcony must be perfectly located because you are seeing so many different species there

Great photos as always!

Jeanie said...

Your blog is so well named. It is indeed breathtaking. Well done on the documentation -- you are far more thorough than I on that score. I just love the images. So glad I found a way to follow you!

MadSnapper said...

I am glad you posted these, i have only seen four of this list of them. the rest are new to me and all are truly beautiful. I love the one that came to your chandelier. and the one from your archives. they are really amazing

This N That said...

Amazing...I never knew there were so many Moths..Wonderful pictures..Enjoy your weekend!!

Malindha Erba said...

Very beautiful photos ^^

Phil Slade said...

Sonjia, I think your moth ID skills just beat my own by about 20 to 1. Because you live in a warmer part of Europe, and if you are sufficiently taken by moths and butterflies, I would advise investing in a good moth and butterfly field guide. The only drawback to that is that as you realise there are several hundred if not thousands of such insects and some of the guides stretch to or more volumes, some of which are quite expensive. Alternatively maybe a book that covers just the commoner species?

sami niilola said...

Moths are beautiful. Awesome photos. Happy weekend.

Gardens at Waters East said...

What an amazing variety of moths. Thanks for posting them. I have many here in the gardens but nothing like the variety you have. Good work putting them together for all of use to see.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Hello Sonjia:
Moths are fascinating - but difficult! I claim no great proficiency at identifying them here on my home turf, so I will not attempt IDs for your European species. i suspect that Richard Pegler may be a great help with this. Take good care. Hugs from Ontario. David

Marijke said...

Good morning dear Sonjia,
It's fantastic to see so many moth's. Wonderful photo's!!!
Have a great weekend
Marijke

Irma said...

What beautiful pictures of the moths.
I didn't know there were so many different types.
Greetings Irma

eileeninmd said...

Hello Sonjia,
What a beautiful collection of moths and photos They are so colorful and pretty. I wish I could help with the id's. A field guide or maybe there is a website on insect id's for your area? Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

Richard Pegler said...

Hi Sonjia. This is an absolutely wonderful collection of moths that you are showing us here, some of which I believe are not to be found in UK, and there are also a few that can be found in UK but I have never had the pleasure of seeing - I'd love to find a Peach Blossom! Contrary to what David Gascoigne suggests, I am not someone who can be of much help with moth ID. I am a novice, and frequently have to resort to others more knowlegable for help with the UK species. Throw in the species found in southern Europe, and I haven't a clue!

Take good care and stay safe - - - Richard

Jenn Jilks said...

We have most of the moths here. Lovely to see them. Spring is coming!

Amila said...

This is a wonderful collection of moths. It is nice to see different designs on their wings.
Have a great weekend

Tom said...

...you saw and captured images of more moths than I may have ever seen. Thanks so much for sharing, take care and stay well.

DeniseinVA said...

Gorgeous little creatures! Your photos are stunning!

Bill said...

These photos of the moths are absolutely beautiful. I never knew there were so many kinds of moths. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.

Bob Bushell said...

Hi Sonjia
That is a blog shall be perfect study of Moth. Hidden from ones eyes. Beautiful.

Diane said...

Great photos well done. As a matter of interest, the label that you have as a Hummingbird Hawk Moth is actually a Broad-Bordered Bee Hawk Moth (Hemaris fuciformis), they are far more colourful than the other one.
Have a good Sunday and take care Diane

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

The Hummingbird Moth is one of my favorite moths to see but we don't see them very often. You've taken great photos of all of these!

Teresa said...

Me encantó esta entrada. Me gusta fotografiar mariposas, todas estas las he visto por aquí, en mi blog tengo varias de ellas. Besos.

Elderberry-Rob said...

I love all the moths on your post, we get quite a few coming in from the woods, I will take more interest in what variety they are.

Debbie said...

you would not think a moth would be beautiful but all of these are, in their own way!! gorgeous images showing off a lot of their details!!

Nick Morgan said...

Amazing selection Sonjia. I borrowed a moth trap a few years ago until one night I was overwhelmed when I caught over 400. It was a really windy day when I went to empty the trap and as it was mild they all started blowing away. So, I put the trap in the boot of my car while I emptied, and photographed the moths. They went everywhere and for the next week my car alarm kept going off as another moth would fly past the sensor! I gave the trap back after that!! It used to take me the whole day to identify them.
There are one or two of yours I recognize, so I will come back with some names!

Nick Morgan said...

OK!!
I think that the third picture is a Minsmere Crimson and I think the last picture is the same, but the shadow across it makes the pattern look different.
Picture 10 - the one that landed on the wooden chandelier is a Passenger Moth, Dysgonia algira. I think that picture 12 is the same species, but with its wings closed.
Picture 14 is a Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing.
Picture 16 is Blair's Mocha.
I think those are correct, but I do find moths really tricky to identify.

Nancy Chan said...

You have so many different types of beautiful moths photos in your collection. Every moth is beautiful and unique in its own way.

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! Wonderful macro series of elegant moths ~ Xo

Wishing you lots of love in your days,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Mike Attwood said...

Hello Sonjia, Lovely pictures of the moths. I don't get moths on my patch the local farmers spray devastating insecticides which have a lot to do with it and of course affects the bird population too. Take care,
Mike.

Rostrose said...

Wow, that's a really nice collection of moths! I know some of them, but many don't know their names (and certainly not their English names ;-)) Great that you were able to identify them!
All the best from Austria and thank you for your particularly nice comments :-)
Traude

Lowcarb team member said...

Lovely photographs and well done on the documentation :)

All the best Jan

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh Sonia, those are so beautiful. I really don't think we are required to know the names of every creature in order to appreciate them. They are beautiful whether or not we know what to call them. (But I deeply admire how much you do know and how many of these lovely moths you have been able to identify!)

La Biosfera de Lola said...

Hola Sonjia. Preciosas fotos y preciosas polillas, aquí tenemos alguna de ellas y mi preferida es la Esmeralda. Gran entrada. Abrazos y besos.

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