I had to do a bit of reseach to find out what kind he was- it turns out he is a male four-spotted footman moth Lithosia quadra
The females have the 4 spots that give the moth its common name and look quite different from the males.
They feed on lichen and are strongl attracted by light- which is why it flew in- we have a new halogen lamp that seems to be incredibly attractive to moths and flies [its done a good job of killing mosquitoes though thats not its actual function].
I really liked the moth's rusty coloured 'fur collar'The photos were taken without flash in quite subdued halogen lighting- I didn't use the flash becuase it scares off whatever i am trying to photograph. Still the photos turned out well and after the moth had a short rest, it flew away.
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5 comments:
Hi Alison,
Isnt the graduation of colour from its head to the tip of its wings beautiful.
Penny.
Amazing photograph, Alison - so brilliant when one can capture those perfect close-ups.
I like it's red furry stole...very zsa zsa! :-)
We saw a massive moth the other evening, thought a bat had flown in at first, but it wouldn't stay still for me to identify it.
Alison, I have just finished reading Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. As a lover of moths, this might be a novel you would savour.
Nice of it to pause for photos! Must also be a bit of a ham ....
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