Sunday 21 June 2015

Day 230 - Lovely Long-Horn Moth - Happy Father's Day!!

Long Horn or Fairy Moth (Nemophora degeerella) sunbathing on a nettle.
Hi all today's Day 230 and before I want to do anything, I want to wish all Dads a happy Father's Day! I went out to Stavely Nature Reserve today with my Mum and Dad and we saw a lot of wildlife there. Its a fabulous reserve. We saw a group of young stoats running around making a right noise so I don't suppose they caught anything. They were very quick though, too quick for me and my camera!

My Mum spotted a lovely little Moth that I thought would be great to do as it is a very impressing looking Moth. When we looked around we actually found two of these beauties sunbathing on some nettles - just to make the photography a little more challenging! From the title /\ and pictures > you'll know that today I am covering the Long Horn Moth.

So, here are the facts:

Despite being on nettles they were very good and sat still
  • They usually are 16-23 millimetres long this is 0.63 inches - 0.91 inches.
  • The Males can have antennae which are up to 5 times their body length. This could be up to 115 millimetres! 
  • This makes them the longest antennae of all UK moths!
  • They are seen from May to July during the daytime as they are a day flying moth.
  • Their larvae feed on Birch leaf litter and we found these in a patch of mixed deciduous woodland. 
  • They are mostly found in Southern England, mostly found around Norfolk but there is also quite a large colony near Land's End. They can also be found as far North as Dumfries in Scotland.
Antennae blowing in the breeze.
  • The Long Horn Moth are also called 'fairy moths'. Their Latin name is Nemophora degeerella.
  • They are found in deciduous woodlands, which are often damp. Also they are found around well wooded hedgerows and lanes.
  • The Females are usually much shorter than the Males while they hardly have any antennae  at all compared to the Males.
Here are some links to more information:




Hope you enjoyed,

Z.

1 comment:

  1. I love that their alternative name is fairy moth, that's so sweet! I didn't know their antennae could be so long either. Great photos Zach! - Tasha

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