Sublime to the ridiculous, and all points in between.

There are occasions when I find myself wishing that I'd spent more time listening to the teachers, whilst at school. It's not about me being thick, or suffering from a second rate education system, not a bit of it. I left school with eleven "O" levels & three "A" Levels and have since gained a 2nd class honours degree, thanks to the "Investors in People" initiative and the incredible support provided by Kodak Ltd and Unilever during my distant past. So it's not about lack of intelligence, or some pay back for a deprived childhood, nope! I just lack the eloquence and/or vocabulary to deliver what I'd like to say in a written format which is able to paint a picture, rather than simply convey a message? 

First light out on the flatlands - needless to say "I blanked!"

Gareth Craddock is the finest wordsmith I've ever encountered in all my exploration of "Blogdom" whilst Gavin Haig is possibly the most thought provoking member of the gang? (click either link - they are in yellow) What they are able to convey, in written format, is stuff that I can but dream of. It's not that I'm ashamed about the material I post, just know that these two, in particular, would have been able to do so much more with the same experiences? Still, life goes on and blogging continues to provide me with incredible enjoyment. It might be a comment exchange or just the realization of how many folk are visiting "Of Esox" via the "dashboard" facility on my laptop. Blogging remains a very important part of my wildlife experience purely because of this ability to share the journey with so many other folk, the vast majority of whom I'll never meet! 

The Shears

The Rustic

The Rustic

Pale Mottled Willow

With my angling efforts being very low key, at present, it has been the garden moth trapping which continues to provide the bulk of my regular wildlife fix. It is a very humbling experience when you realise that the more you see there must be an acceptance of how little you actually know. Yet, it has to be good for the soul to keep pushing the boundaries. That quest to widen an appreciation of the other life forms which share our space. This is where I have to applaud the PSL (Pan Species Listing) crowd who have actively encouraged others to push the limits of their own wildlife experiences. I don't agree with the competitive aspect, but anything which encourages folk to look at the world with a different perception has to be a good thing. It has been my mothing, over this past couple of weeks, which is responsible for the title of this post. I adore Hawk-moths, and the ability to show them to my neighbours ensures that my request not to use garden insecticides is not falling on deaf ears. There are, at least, five other garden Hedgehog feeding stations along Vine Close and three also cater for the Foxes so we're a pretty good, wildlife friendly, neighbourhood?. So far, this month, I've trapped Lime Hawk-moth (8), Small Elephant Hawk-moth (1), Eyed Hawk-moth (5), Elephant Hawk-moth (22), Poplar Hawk-moth (3), Privet Hawk-moth (2) plus have seen Humming-bird Hawk-moths feeding on the Red Valerian in the front garden on several occasions. They're big, in your face, moths which are the real show stoppers when seen by non-mothing folk. 

Scarce Silver Lines

Male Rannoch Looper

However, from my own stand point, it is those pesky micros which provide the bulk of the attraction for me at present. Yes I know that I still make dodgy id calls for macro species but, the sheer diversity of both shape and colouration, these smaller moths have me totally engrossed, if not frustrated in the same measure? Very slowly, my camera work is improving and it has certainly been a major asset in my quest for id-ing many of these tiny insects. Only when seen on the laptop are you able to appreciate the intricacy of patternation and also the incredible talent of Richard Lewington who illustrated the pages of "The Field Guide to the Micro Moths of GB & Ireland" (ISBN 978-0-9564902-1-6) which is my go to reference book.

Long-legged Tabby

Dark Bordered Pearl - they used to be quite rare?

I'm sure that my skill set will slowly improve as I spend more time looking at these wonderful creatures. Mistakes are guaranteed, purely because that's the basis for how you learn. I am lucky enough to be able to go back to a time when I struggled to differentiate a Chiffchaff from a Willow Warbler, Marsh from Willow Tit, Black-necked from Slavonian Grebe, such was my inexperience at the start of that particular journey. Today it's a piece of piss to separate a Short-toed from a Common Treecreeper, a Melodious from an Icterine Warbler and so on. Experience and there is no fast track to bypass this very basic requirement. 

Blackthorn Argent

Cock's Head Bell

 I've got hundreds of images of micro moths which remain un-id'd, but that's my problem. What some might query is the lack of scientific names to accompany my images? I'm bloody struggling to get to grips with the moths without the need need to learn another language as I go?

Passer domesticus - It's a bloody House Sparrow no more or less!
Why are moths any different? I'm English, they've an English name - so use it.