Post by nomad on Apr 6, 2015 17:14:31 GMT
The old entomologist's knew the importance of Spring flowering Sallows (Salix). If you wanted early moths especially the Noctuinae, they were the places to frequent at night. Of course not all Sallows were of easy access to those collectors, so later in the night when the moths were a little tipsy from the nectar, a sharp tap of the bough of a Sallow often brought the moths tumbling down into their beating tray. On one occasion, a dormouse after juicy moths landed into the upturned face of the collector, much to his surprise. Today, most moth collectors now just use a powerful traps such as the M.V in the woods, visiting Sallows at night may be a thing of the past. .
Today I visited my favourite Sallows, one small tree stands on the brow of a hill with the wooded vale beneath. The other much larger tree has been blown over at an angle and lies of the edge of a field in the hedgerow. I bet your guessing this may involve those common over-wintering Nymphalidae and it does. I promise that these will be my last photos of these species this spring. Rare does not mean beautiful, while common usually does, especially as regards European Nymphalidae. I never get bored of these butterflies. I can watch them for hours, if I saw them every day I would be a happy man. One must remember, that a few years ago Aglais urticae nearly vanished in the U.K and now its back and in my area in very good numbers, so why not celebrate. I realized today, how important the big fluffy yellow heads of Sallow flowers are to Spring insects including Bees. Here are a few images.
Sallows with Peacocks, Inachis io.
Inachis io.
This Aglais urticae payed court to an inachis io.
Aglais urticae.
A courting pair of Aglais urticae beneath the Sallows.
Honey Bees.
Today I visited my favourite Sallows, one small tree stands on the brow of a hill with the wooded vale beneath. The other much larger tree has been blown over at an angle and lies of the edge of a field in the hedgerow. I bet your guessing this may involve those common over-wintering Nymphalidae and it does. I promise that these will be my last photos of these species this spring. Rare does not mean beautiful, while common usually does, especially as regards European Nymphalidae. I never get bored of these butterflies. I can watch them for hours, if I saw them every day I would be a happy man. One must remember, that a few years ago Aglais urticae nearly vanished in the U.K and now its back and in my area in very good numbers, so why not celebrate. I realized today, how important the big fluffy yellow heads of Sallow flowers are to Spring insects including Bees. Here are a few images.
Sallows with Peacocks, Inachis io.
Inachis io.
This Aglais urticae payed court to an inachis io.
Aglais urticae.
A courting pair of Aglais urticae beneath the Sallows.
Honey Bees.
