The fabulous world of Lepidoptera has inspired a fun thread on blue sky, which inspired me to collect some of my photos of moths and butterflies seen in our garden, and a list of moth professors I admire.
First up, here’s a list of moth profs on bluesky social media.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vgxyu6g2jqsjmqjwgm3tghum/lists/3meom2gmv4w2c
The Bluesky list includes Robin Ince, and I recommend a listen to the Infinite Monkey Cage podcast about Butterflies vs Moths. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fxn9
My ‘Moths Profs List’ also includes author Tom Cox, as it was his thread that started me off on listing moth profs. You should probably visit his website and buy some books. https://www.tom-cox.com/
Alternatively, you could try a guessing game to identify the butterflies spotted in our garden. Post your guesses in the comments if you want to play along. There’s a moth and a dragonfly in there too. I’ll post the answers soon…
Today it was light until 5.30 pm here in Somerset, UK, which makes a pleasant change and suggests that spring is just around the corner.
I hope you’re enjoying some blue skies wherever you are,
J xx
Love this kind of game!! I know several of those!
Admiral top left
Peacock top right
Some kind of fritillary top middle?
Left middle is either a cinnabar moth or a burnet.
Small or large white in the middle (I can distinguish the caterpillars but not yet the adults)
I was going to say middle right was meadow brown, but I think it’s a speckled wood after looking at the butterfly count app.
Bottom left and bottom right I also recognise but can’t name, bottom middle no idea, never seen.
Let me know when you post the results!
Admiral top left, Correct!
Fritaillary – check! I think possibly a heath fritillary https://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/butterflies
Peacock, Check!
Cinnabar – check – it was on a yellow ragwort, the main giveaway
Large or small white – yes! (I don’t know either) 🙂
Speckled wood – I think so too
Bottom left is a brimstone butterfly
The one in the bottom middle is a rotten trick, because it is not a butterfly at all, it’s a demoiselle
https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/the-beautiful-demoiselle
And the bottom right is also a tricky trick, because that is an elephant hawk moth. https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/elephant-hawk-moth
Thanks for playing along! Sorry about the tricky tricks 🙂
Thanks for the info! I’ve seen the elephant hawk moth before, just couldn’t think of the name.
The demoiselle is beautiful!