Friday, July 07, 2006

Lines Galore...

Moths are all about lines, squiggly or straight. Lines help to break-up the outline of a moth when at rest so it blends in with its surroundings and thus avoids detection from potential predators. Below are a couple of lined species I've caught recently...


Leucania multilinea, the Many-lined Wainscot. A chunky noctuid with many look-alike cousins, this moth is fairly common, even in the big city. The larvae feed on grasses whilst the adult is flying throughout the summer months.


The totally brilliant Anticlea multiferata, the Many-lined Carpet. I rarely catch this one - it appears to be very local. The larvae feed on willow-herb, whereas the adult is on the wing mostly in June and July. This is one of my very favorite geometers, mostly because of all those lines...

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