A whole lot of finger crossing

Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) by the A41 on 12^th May 2016

Yikes! Where did the last 12 days go?! Although butterfly numbers are low and late, I still seem to have spent inordinate amounts of time devoted to them. Last Monday, the 9^th, as part of the preparations for Duke of Burgundy (re)introduction, I scoured Roughdown Common and Bovingdon Brickworks for representative foodplants (Cowslip and Primrose) that females might choose for egg laying. It was then a case of labelling, photographing and mapping them all with a view to returning every 2 weeks to capture (photograph) their progress. The idea is that we’ll then have evidence to show that the sites can support the larvae right through to pupation….so long as these foodplants remain lush and edible (rather than desiccate in sun or drought). Fingers firmly crossed, prayers dispensed and mind set to "optimistic"!

Pyrausta aurata  (Small Purple and Gold or Mint Moth)  Roughdown 16/5/2016

Dingy Skipper, Brickworks, 12/5/2016. A male, indicated by the dark scent/sex-brands running through the forewings. These contain the androconial scales used during courtship

What else? Well, having religiously visited the A41 Bourne End/Boxmoor junction every weather-appropriate day since the beginning of May, the first Small Blues took flight on the 12^th. Just 3 of them and they were feeding feverishly on Grass Vetchling, Common Mouse-ear, Red and White Clover, Cowslips and Buttercups. Despite having no influence whatsoever on the survival of these little creatures, it hasn’t stopped me willing them through the winter, hoping all those tucked away larvae stay safe, and I felt as though I were greeting dear friends returned from a perilous adventure. I was so pleased to see them. Incidentally, 60-70% of the Kidney Vetch we planted at Roughdown and the Brickworks has taken, so, once again, fingers crossed for the future.

The best bird of the last week was the arrival of a Lesser Whitethroat jangling/rattling away at the western edge of the Brickworks. I wonder if it’s the same bird that turned up last year?

Not a Lesser Whitethroat but one of the many singing male Blackcaps around the Brickworks. This one hiding in a mess of Buddleja on Monday

On the botany front, I found a new patch of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) at the Brickworks. This, along with plenty of Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) and copious Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) is surely going to be tempting to any half-sane wandering Grizzled Skipper (a rare and restricted species in Herts and absent from BMT land). You guessed it, fingers firmly crossed.

Finally, I walked the Brickworks late afternoon yesterday. The Common Blue butterflies have yet to emerge and there’s still no sign of Brown Argus. The latter theoretically emerges the first week of May but my first sighting last year was the 10^th. This year, I’m anticipating that they’ll be slightly late but we’re definitely getting to the end of the window of expectation. All I can do is stay optimistic and hope for the best (no more fingers left to cross!).

Minty moths, born of fire

Those who pop in here regularly will likely have noticed that I have a soft spot for finding moths during the day time. Doing so always feels a bit like I’ve uncovered a mysterious wormhole in the fabric of the universe because, as everyone knows, moths only exist after dark. Oh ok, they don’t vanish into thin air as the sun comes up, but there is a sense in which discovering their hiding places and roost sites is like pulling back a veil. And, of course, there are the day-flying moths, which are just as exciting to see because they hide in plain sight. Like undercover agents, they live obscured, in the shadows of the big, bright and popular butterfly community. Only the initiated seek them out.

This week, it was the pretty little Mint Moth that caught my imagination. Smaller than my lady-sized thumbnail and, as the common name suggests, the larvae feed on mints and the adults spend most of their time also on/around these herbs. Their other common name, Small Purple and Gold, sums up their main colouring but their scientific name is also worth a closer look. Pyrausta aurata. The “aurata” is fairly straightforward and comes from the latin for “gilded” or “golden” or “overlaid/adorned with gold”, just as the little moth is. “Pyrausta” or “fire-winged”, I think, is a reference to the mythical insect fabled to live in or born from fire. I’m not quite sure how this relates to the moth. Perhaps it is a reference to the rich purple-crimson colouring which is also associated with the fire-born Phoenix, rising from the ashes? I don’t know, but for a little moth it’s got a big name: Fire-born, adorned with gold!

As this moth ages, its vibrant, regal colours fade as the scales wear away. Towards the end of its life, it does look as though it's escaped the flames and has been left brown and singed.

A fairly fresh specimen

Signs of wear starting to show

A very worn specimen!

The above were all found at Roughdown Common, amongst a population of at least 25 moths, making the most of the deliciously scented Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare). The species flies by day and night.