2018 January 15

 

   Jochen Moehr sends a photograph of a noctuid moth from Metchosin.  Jeremy Tatum writes:  This one beat me, but Libby Avis identifies it as a dark specimen of Orthosia praeses  – one of the earliest noctuids to appear in the early weeks of the year.  Other early noctuids to look out for are Egira hiemalis and Eupsilia tristigmata. Also Scoliopteryx libratrix (formerly a noctuid but now an erebid) and the geometrid Phigalia plumogeraria. 

 

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

 

   And what about butterflies?  Can we expect to see any soon?  For very many years the Red Admiral was never believed to stay in the British Isles during the winter – they either died or flew south, similar to our situation here.  However, in recent years Red Admirals – either as adult insects or as caterpillars – regularly spend the winter in southern England.  This year already there have been records of caterpillars (January 7) and adults (January 10) in Sussex.  Might it be worth looking out for them here?  We might also expect (or at least hope) to see Mourning Cloaks, except that last year was not a good year for them.