2021 March 29

 

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  My first butterfly of the year today – a brief glimpse of a Cabbage White flying over Shelbourne Street.

 

Meanwhite Ian Cooper is continuing with his wonderful photographs of interesting animals.  First, a remarkable photograph of a moth that has just ecloded (emerged) from its pupa probably only a minute or so ago.  Its wings are just mere stubs – they will expand to their full size within the next fifteen minutes.  At this stage, without being able to see the wing pattern, or much of it, it is impossible to identify it.  Or is it?  I had a guess myself, and I asked Libby Avis to have a guess, too, at this impossible task.  Well, we both came up with the same genus – Orthosia –  that’s pretty impressive, though I says it meself.  Libby’s guess was O. hibisci; mine was O.praeses. Remarkable photograph in any case.

Added later:  Libby reminded me that the first thoracic segment of praeses should be a rich orangey-brown, so it’s definitely not praeses.  I’m tempted now to label it as a definite hibisci, but I shan’t push my luck, so we’ll leave it as O. sp.

 

Orthosia sp. (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Ian Cooper

Probably Oniscus asellus (Isopoda:  Oniscidae)  Ian Cooper

Grey Field Slug Deroceras reticulatum (Pul.: Agriolimacidae) Ian Cooper

Pimoa altioculata (Ara: Pimoidae) Ian Cooper