SUMMER ADVENTURES - Episode 38 - THE MOTH FILLED EPISODE ... for the Butterfly Day and Insect Day Giveaway - Week 42
The small emperor moth (Saturnia pavonia) is one of the most spectacular moths here in my area, the Istra peninsula, northern Adriatic, in Croatia. Is large, is hairy, fluffy, and beautifully decorated with organic abstract shapes in many shades ... and it has those attractive peacock eyes. Is not very colorful, but that is compensated with the elegant look of its decorations, that viewed very up close, look like some sort of intricate traditional carpet.
That's why I decided to put him in front, as the first picture of the post. :D To immediately catch the attention ...
... because most of the other protagonists of this episode ...
... will be small ... like this small marbled (Eublemma parva) ...
... and much less exuberant ...
... but not less interesting.
On this low quality, grainy shot ... made with a simple, low quality compact camera a few years ago, in a pretty dark conditions at dusk ... is a fascinating little species, disguised as some part of a dry plant ... and I'm sorry to not being able to tell you the name of the species ... I did a bit of research through internet, but didn't find out who this moth is ... it is not very common here, or is very well hidden, so I saw it only a few times in my life ... always on the dry out coastal meadows at the peak of the summer.
Many small moth species ...
... are hiding in this sea of tall grass ...
... most of them ...
... are waiting for the dusk to resume their activities ...
... like this scarce footman (Eilema complana) ad example ... that likes to visit the lichens covered rocks near the sea ...
... or this other small species ... that I still didn't find how is called.
But some ... like this lovely Rhodometra sacraria ...
... or Dysgonia torrida, on this photograph ... can be encountered also during the day ... especially if the day is cloudy ...
... some of the most colorful species of this area ... like Zygaena carniolica, on this photograph ...
... or Zygaena exulans ... here photographed while feeding on the big thistle flower early in the morning ... are diurnal moths ...
... this shiny green beauty ... that I still don't know how to call ...
... is also very common during the day ... in summer ...
... on the open meadows.
The Hummingbird hawk - moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) is one of the most common ... and also kind of iconic ... diurnal species ...
... they can be seen almost everywhere around here ... in gardens, on the city balconies, in every place with some attractive flowers ... but around the big and juicy thistle flowers on the coastal meadows, they can appear in spectacular numbers ...
... I photographed this minuscule species ... without a name in this post :) ...
... feeding on the small trumpet like flower, of a plant that looks like some sort of morning glory ...
... also during the day ... around noon ... on a very hot and dusty summer day ... and so, while all these moths are sucking the nectar or just flying around, under the strong summer sun ...
... this very large ...
... I think the largest here in the area ... Convolvulus hawk - moth (Agrius convolvuli) is usually resting, well hidden by his color and patterns, on the rocks near the sea ...
... only with the dark ... he will fly to the nearby meadows ... to feed on the long trumpets of the datura flowers ...
... many other moths are attracted at night by these big white flowers ...
... on this photograph is the elegant Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis), a invasive species here ... but a very beautiful invasive species ... also photographed on the datura plant ... hi is hiding on the back of the leaf ... so wasn't easy to get below enough and take this shot.
I saw many other moths using this hiding strategy ... like this one in the dense oak and elm woods.
And this ... pretty large moth ...
... is also a forest creature ...
... a very nocturnal one ... well hidden during the day just like the Convolvulus hawk - moth ... but on the bark of the trees instead of rocks ...
... is an Oak hawk moth (Marumba quercus) ...
... a very common species in the woods around my hometown ... but I don't see him often ...
... because, or is well hidden during the day ... or flies somewhere around the woods late at night.
And here is a large, enlargeable portrait of that cute and furry moth's face :D.
On this photograph ... is another nice example of camouflage ... a moth called Angel shades (Plogophora meticulosa) ...
... very beautiful species ... I especially like the way in which the folded wings wonderfully mimic some types of fallen leaves ... and various dried out plant surfaces.
On this photograph, you can see the Angel shades on green surface ... and take a better look.
And here is another camouflaged species ... that I don't know much about ... in its diurnal rest.
This very peculiarly shaped creature ... is a White plum moth (Pterophorus pentadactyla) ... very common on the meadows ...
... and this ...
... is a similar, brown species ...
... that I encounter less often ...
Here is another pretty rare encounter in this area ... a beautiful green moth ... I don't know the name of the species ... saw it just a few times ...
This one is called Dysauxes famula :) by scientist mainly ... I think ...
... and here is another lovely, fluffy - looking species ... also pretty colorful too ...
... the Cream - spot tiger (Arctia villica).
This is a small moth I found once deep in the woods ... on the carpet of lichens ... and I don't know the exact species ...
This is a Hook marked straw moth (Agapeta hamana) ...
... here photographed with different light ... that shows better the scaly texture of the wings.
And now ...
I'll show you ... a pretty long series of various small moths ... that I didn't find enough information about ... and after a long internet searching and researching ... I still don't know what species these are ... but they are interesting to look at, and although you won't learn much from the rest of the post, at least you'll see a bit more of the great biodiversity out there ... in the woods and meadows in my area.
This elegant species ...
... is usually hiding under the large leaves of the plants that grow flat, spreading near to the ground.
This one also ... and is also very elegant.
Another similarly shaped species ... from the same habitat ...
... and another one.
A beautiful orange moth that I often see flying during the day.
A moth with very long antennae, this one I see often in the oak and elm woods.
Another, similarly shaped species from those woods ... this one very lovely ... shiny and colorful.
Another small, shiny species, feeding on the flower.
A bigger, less exuberant species ... also while feeding ... during the day ... on the meadow. This is a shot from the mid autumn.
Another larger species ... feeding on the thistle at night.
A minuscule moth from the meadows ... also photographed at night.
Another minuscule ... and kind of angelic - looking species ... also at night ... on the meadow near the sea.
The same species ... here photographed near the tiny flower of the grass ... so you can have a good idea of how small it is.
A beautiful species that I saw just once ... maybe twice ... in the woods.
Another small one from the meadows.
A small one from the woods ... mimicking the bird's excrement.
A moth that I always see in big numbers on the fields covered with the wild carrot ...
... and it looks also ...
... well camouflaged there.
A small moth on the ear of grass ... active during the day.
A medium - sized moth ... and a yellow crab spider, in ambush beneath him.
Another small species from the woods ... and then ... THE END. :D Finaly ... I'm a bit exausted from this species searching and image uploading ... as always in these posts on Steemit, all the photographs are my work.