Common Footman (Eilema lurideola) at Titchwell (though also told it might be Dingy Footman) |
So I did my research and here's what I found out about them:
And one at Nosterfield |
- Well not surprisingly I found that they are found across most of England and Wales but are only found in bits of Ireland and Scotland.
- They like habitats like farmland, marshes, gardens and woodland - but there has to be lichen.
- Why does there have to be lichen? Well that because their larvae feed on it.
- They have a wingspan of 28-35mm but I've never seen one with its wings stretched out.
- I've only ever seen them like they are in the photos here where the wings are wrapped around their body.
- When they hold their wings like this they are supposed to look a bit like a Footman which was a type of servant - I looked this up and the Queen was looking for a new Footman this year so they still exist!
And a bugs eye view :-) |
- Well you might see the Queens Footman all year but this moth you will most likely see between May and August with a peak in July.
- The ones I've seen are the Common Footman (or maybe the Dingy Footman) but there are at least five types of Footman moth in the UK, Common, Buff, Scarce, Dingy and Orange. The Eakringbirds website has some great pictures of them
- Well there's not so much I could find out about this moth but I did notice that the Common Footman wasn't one of the species that Linnaeus named! I haven't seen one of those for a while, this was named by some one called Johann Leopold Theodor Friedrich Zincken - a German entomologist in 1817.
If you want to see more pictures and information try these sites
Hope you enjoyed,
Z.
Love that last shot Zach, so interesting! - Tasha
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