Wildlife mid 2009

[Ragged Robin]

An incredible Moth, Anthony, such a rich, dark, velvet chocolate with white chocolate highlights - how long did it hang out to dry its amazing wings? 

[Anthony Darby]

I didn't see it emerge as it was already out when I got up at 7.15 this morning.

[Lesley Cox]

 I'm wondering what flower attracted its attentions in Greece Leslie?

I can't remember Robin. I do remember there was precious little in flower at all (mid July) except the occasional salvia, thalictrum and Lilium chalcedonicum and L. martagon. And Morina. And Scutellaria orientalis.

A truly magnificent moth Anthony. If you'd kept both caterpillars, maybe you would have had male and female, so eggs to come?

[Hristo]

A real beauty Anthony, do you rear many butterflies and moths?

[Anthony Darby]

It would be my primary hobby if I had more time and space. I have Antheraea polyphemus (USA) moths emerging from cocoons that I reared from eggs sent last June.

[Hristo]

Anthony, have you a dedicated Butterfly House? I am intrigued, wen living is Scotland I half seriously thought about applying for a grant from the HIDB to debelop a butterfly farm in Caithness and Sutherland! Ok mad idea, but it kept my brain ticking over during some seriously dull busibess meetings!

[Anthony Darby]

[A truly magnificent moth Anthony. If you'd kept both caterpillars, maybe you would have had male and female, so eggs to come?

The other is a female, but as it was two weeks behind no point in keeping it. These moths have no mouth parts so cannot feed. Their life expenctancy is 10 days max.

Anthony, have you a dedicated Butterfly House?

Not really. The greenhouse would appear to be too cold overnight, even at this time of year, for the polyphemus to pair. There was frost in Scotland last night! Don't have anywhere in the house either. The costs of heating a greenhouse 24/7/365 would be prohibitive!

[Paul T]

Magnificent moth, Anthony.  Fascinating to see some of your moth and butterfly treasures that you (and others) post here.  Thanks everyone.

[Ragged Robin]

The warm rocks are attracting wildlife to sunbathe or rest (no sunscreen required  )

[Hristo]

Nice lizard shot RR!
This is a pic of ( possibly ) a very lucky Tortoise. This is the nearest one I have seen to my house, maybe 1.5km away. It was very lucky, I stopped picked it up out of the road and put it in the verge. This morning travelling out to get some stones, same tortoise crossing the main road 200m from the previous road. I was going too fast to stop but managed to straddle it, as did the Trabant driving behind me! On the return trip no sign of squashed tortoise so it got off the road or has ended up in the cooking pot, I am hoping for the first option!

[Ragged Robin]

Hristo, I hope for the same option - tortoises are so full of character and defy the idea of anything untoward happening with their shell around them in another world...I wonder how old this one might be?  Are there many in the wild or was this one an escapee?

Thanks for you comment about the lizard shot - it was certainly giving me the eyeball 

[Hristo]

RR, I am guessing it is fairly young, the other tortoises I have seen in Bulgraia were larger than this one!
I think this is one makes 4 seen so far this year. They have been half the size of tortoises we have seen in Greece.
The heat today had bought out the butterflies again, in the garden today Cardinal, Peacock, Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Brimstone, Swallowtail. Marbled White and other unidentified butterfly species.
Pics attached of the Swallowtail Papilio machaon   and the Hummingbird Hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum which I have been trying to photograph in flight for weeks, this is the first half decent picture I have!

[ashley]

Excellent picture Chris, considering the rate at which they dart about.  
Hummingbird hawkmoths are unusually plentiful here too this year and are curiously attracted to (flowers on ?) a copper beech.

[Ragged Robin]

The warm rocks are attracting wildlife to sunbathe or rest (no sunscreen required  )

cont.....

This little insect bee-thing is absolutely tiny and is busy building the second chamber to its home on the rock....in BCU it looks like cocoons of grains of sand - Anthony can you ID the insect and what it is up to? 

[Anthony Darby]

Chris

Looks like your tortoise is the European Pond variety (Emys orbicularis)?

Nice lizard shot RR!
This is a pic of ( possibly ) a very lucky Tortoise. This is the nearest one I have seen to my house, maybe 1.5km away. It was very lucky, I stopped picked it up out of the road and put it in the verge. This morning travelling out to get some stones, same tortoise crossing the main road 200m from the previous road. I was going too fast to stop but managed to straddle it, as did the Trabant driving behind me! On the return trip no sign of squashed tortoise so it got off the road or has ended up in the cooking pot, I am hoping for the first option!