The Herald is an unmistakable and friggin delightful moth.
They putter about early in the year, but not many stop by the light. Happy to see this little buddy drop in! Here's some sketches I made of this species.
Caterpillars of this mothy pal eat willows & poplars. The web of connections between trees, moths that eat the leaves, birds that eat moth larvae and live in trees, and all the other interconnected wildlife... It's so vast. If you enjoy seeing moths like this, take care of trees as much as you're able.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋🐾🛹✨
Politely requesting that you pause and behold the utterfuckingly delightful frosted green moth that visited me this morning.
Look at its little face! The stripey socks! So fluffy!! The world is on fire, but moths exist; see them and know there are still good things for you to keep existing for too.
The caterpillars of this moth eat oak leaves. Another reason to look after local street oaks, & protect even small areas of trees. Where I live, developers have been successfully taken to court for deliberately damaging protected oaks. So it's worth reporting damage!
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋🐾🛹✨
Another super-fuzzy friend who visited my moth trap this morning - a brindled beauty.
This moth has twig mimicking caterpillars, and they feed on leaves of various deciduous trees. In these trees are also birds, many of which rely on caterpillars to feed their chicks. Here in the UK, many garden birds need moth larvae and some time their egg laying & incubation to coincide with their emergence in spring. (Even if you don't think you like moths, you like them by proxy if you like having birds around. Sorry, I don't make the rules.)
To look after moths and birds, take care of your local trees and report any damage to them to your council.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋🐾✨
From this morning's moth trap:
- Oak beauty
- Hebrew character
- Common quaker
- Common plume AKA set-square moth 📐🦋🐾
Look how fluffy and utterfuckingly delightful that oak beauty is. Those antennas! How do more people not love moths? It is a mystery.
Moth trapping is a way to track local populations and meet your neighbourhood moth pals. After recording all moths are released a safe distance away from the trap (read: out of the way of hungry birds that hang around by the trap shelter!)
Bark spiders (Caerostris spp.) by Chien C Lee on Flickr, originals at flic.kr/p/2kHkm3J & flic.kr/p/2qqA9zG & flic.kr/p/2kJQyGW. (Posting images directly here so I can add alt text.)
This week I was distraught - genuinely fkn mortified - to discover that my lovely other half, my beloved Kitty the cat-human, doesn't... I mean truly *does not*... Think that bark spiders are friggin adorable.
I weep, OMFGs.
Like. I know I should just be happy that they've come to a point where they evict spiders with a cup & card, instead of squishing them.
But bark spiders.
I mean.
Bark spiders are so cool! They look like bark, FFS.
Look at these bark spiders. Behold them! These fancy spood ladies. The twiggy lookin butts. Their smol faces. Glorious weirdos, how could you be mean to a tiny mush like that? The females only get to a couple of centimetres apparently, males are much smaller. They're soo smol, it's not like they're gonna hurt you Kitty? I mean... Look how anxious they look hugging their twigs?? (Gestures at the world) I feel you, little buddies.
I know they're not the most elegant spoods in webs or wombling around, but they are good cryptic critters, pls be nice to them.
Good moth friend alert: spotted today, a super-fuzzy pale brindled beauty (I think) on nice lichen. My 1st moth of 2025!
That is all, please go about your evening, thank u.
Behold the majestic floof of this canary-shouldered thorn moth and let your Monday be that little bit more bearable.
The food plants of this ridiculously fluffy species are birches, goat willow, and alders; to help look after it please look after local trees. If you're in the UK like me, please report any damage to urban trees your council.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
Inside you are 2 hawkmoths...
The first is like "oh so u think all moths are dull and brown, eh?"
The second is all "why TF do you think brown = dull anyway, hmm?"
~
Small elephant hawkmoth and pine hawkmoth visitors to my moth trap. All moths were released unharmed (moth trapping is nice and non-lethal.)
If you enjoyed these moths, please consider not talking 💩 about moths, they're very good bugs. Moths are important pollinators (bees are the day shift, moths work nights.) Moths are an important part of food chains in many ecosystems. Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
To improve your day, please look at this beautiful small elephant hawkmoth, sitting in a sunbeam/just hanging out on a moth trap tray 🦋💖
Next time someone tells you moths are dull, show them this flying kitten in particular.
This moth eats bedstraw plants, willowherbs, and purple loosestrife. To help fluffy flying friends like this one, leave some weedy/unmown areas in your garden if you have one. Do less weeding. You don't need to mow everywhere. Have a rest instead, maybe a coffee or two. If anyone asks, tell them you're looking after your local pollinators/flying kittens.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
Look at this adorably fluffy beast that visited me this morning!
It's basically a tiny flying kitten that pollinates plants by night! I try to meet people where they are when it comes to liking bugs... But when I see moths like this nut-tree tussock, I'm baffled how moths aren't more popular. I mean look at it's stripey little legs! 🥹
Also visiting this morning; brimstone moth, a year round moth buddy, and Hebrew character, a classic spring species.
If you love tiny flying kittens, look after your local green spaces where their food plants grow. Even if you aren't able to volunteer/take part in maintenance work, you can encourage your council to mow/prune green areas with bug life in mind, and report any damage to trees and shrubs that feed many species.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
I got in one (1) night's moth-ing before the weather turned again, but fingers crossed for tomorrow 💖🦋
Until we're past the gales, here's some super-cute moths from previous years to remind you that:
- moths are beautiful
- they pollinate ur plants at night
- their caterpillars are essential food for baby birds
- they're a crucial part of many ecosystems, with life cycles connected to those of trees and wildflowers, birds, and lots of other invertebrates
The moths in the pics are: small emerald, blood vein, small blood vein, tree lichen beauty, box tree moth, orange swift, scorched wing, riband wave & willow beauty, brimstone moth.
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
First moth trap of the year! Look at these warm fuzzy flying kittens 🦋🐈
They are
- Early grey
- Hebrew character
- Common quaker
These moths eat various wild plants, trees & shrubs. Know who else likes trees? Birds.
Birds need moth caterpillars to feed to their chicks at this time of year. Moths & birds are linked. You gotta love one to love the other.
A lot of people will tell you they don't like moths. That they're boring. Some people even say they hate them. Few people say they hate garden birds. Or flowers that moths pollinate. I think people just need to get to know moths TBH.
But even if moths aren't for you?
Looking after moths will help birds & plants too. It's good for your local ecosystem as a whole.
& it often involves doing less work!
If you're lucky enough to have a garden, weeding less & leaving some dead leaves & stems around will help wildlife (especially invertebrates and things that eat them) generally. More tips here
Love moths. Do less.
Thank u from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨
Colour variation in chonky secret mustards AKA large yellow underwing moths AKA Noctua pronuba. It's still not the weather to put up the moth-trap shelter yet 😭 These chonks visited in the autumn.
Please remember to be kind to moths, and if you're in the UK like me; don't be too hasty to clear away dead leaves and winter foliage around the place. Moths are an important part of your local ecosystem. Right now moth caterpillars are a crucial baby bird food!
Thank you from the Moth Promotional Board ✨🦋✨