 |
| Feathered Gothic Moth (Tholera decimalis) |
So what did I find out about these lovely creatures:
 |
| The Feathers - fantastic antennae |
- The wings of these moths have a lovely white tracing which looks a bit like the stone parts of abbey or church windows and is why they have the Gothic part of their name, if I remember what Jill and Charlie told me right.
- The feathered bit of the name is because they have some fantastic antennae, see the pictures!
- I found a site that said that in the 1850's they were renamed. Before this they were in a genus Heliophobus which means 'Dread of the Sun' - that fits very well with their Goth image!
 |
| A side view, zoom in to see the hairs |
- They are most common in the South of England but get less common as you go North and don't seem to like it in the highlands of Scotland.
- You will find them in August and September, this is when they are 'on the wing'.
- The larvae eat grass. when they are little they eat the leaves and as they get older they will eat the stems.
- Habitats they like to live include lowland areas, rough grassland and woodland
 |
| Setting it free I got a great bugs eye view |
- They have a wingspan of 38-48mm
- As they fly quite late in the year they overwinter as an egg.
If you want to see more pictures try these sites, I think I've covered all the facts I could find!
Hope you enjoyed,
Z.
