Notices by David Bradley (sciencebase@mastodon.social)

@ScienceDesk Was the research sponsored by The Jimmy Carter Foundation?

First Privet Hawk-moth of the year, Sphinx ligustri, in our garden last night. The largest of the British moths, can be up to 120mm wingspan.

Some years I've seen several on the same evening along with a variety of the other Hawk-moths. But, 2024 is not proving a very good year for any of the moths here, so far :-(

You're a bird, flying in looking for tasty morsels in the shrubbery. Ooh, what's that, something fluttered by and landed? You investigate...sheeeyit there's a sharp-eyed mammal staring back at you!

Yesterday's Emperor

#teamMoth #mothsMatter

Had another go at a mineral moon, this time with the 94% illuminated waxing gibbous hanging in the sky this evening (#spoilerAlert the full moon is at the weekend)

https://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/mineral-moon.html

Feels like we're still on holiday...Hummingbird Hawk-moth* in the garden #ArchivePhoto #teamMoth #Mothstodon #mothsMatter

Not to be confused with the Hummingbird Moths of the Americas, which are what British lepidopterists refer to as a Bee Hawk-moths, they are clearwings (they're wings being largely transparent)