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Butterfly ID
Topic Started: Sep 16 2008, 02:56 PM (19,472 Views)
Davebutterflyman
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Not found it as yet Jason.
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JaySteel
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Wildlife Photographer.
How about this caterpillar. I found two of these in the garden today. One was floating in my pond and had to be rescued, and the other was dug up by my wife. I've seen them before in my garden and I'm assuming it's a moth? Does anyone know what species this is please? They were both about 30mm in length. Thanks.

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JennyWren
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:thinking: Jay , the photo is not showing for me ..... there's a large square with the writing , This photo is no longer available
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JaySteel
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Wildlife Photographer.
OK, thanks Jen. Try this:

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JaySteel
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Wildlife Photographer.
Is my caterpillar a Square-spot Rustic Moth (Xestia xanthographa)?
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JennyWren
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:thanks; Jay , both are showing now :cool:
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Grayling
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Jason, I've just looked in my copy of Jim Porter Caterpillars of the British Isles and it does look like that one although he says it is indistinguishable from the caterpillar of the Six-striped Rustic so you may have to rear it to see which one it is with any certainty :Cool:
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JaySteel
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Wildlife Photographer.
Thanks Grayling. Both specimens were released immediately after taking their photos. But I'll go with that ID. If they're indistinguishable then no one can tell me I'm wrong! lol

I still have an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar in a plastic vivarium in my dining room. I'm waiting for that to emerge as a moth so I can take its photos. My wife can't wait to see the back of it. I don't think she'd be too happy if I introduced another caterpillar just yet!
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Davebutterflyman
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Hi Jason.

As Grayling has said, there are a number of larvae that are very similar and to be sure, best reared to adult to be sure. This can easily be done and is not time consuming, due to it being in it's final instage (when you next encounter one). The larvae can be put into a holding tank, small plastic goldfish-style tank with a ventilated roof, then place around an inch of soil on the bottom of the tank (the larvae will bury itself in the soil and pupate) with a small twig stuck in the soil for the moth to crawl out onto when it emerges.

You can add a few herbaceous leaves or grasses into the tank, even at the final instar stage, just in case it still wants to feed for a short while before pupating.

Great shots as well.
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Grayling
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JaySteel
Sep 14 2016, 11:49 PM
Here's a caterpillar from today. It was about 40mm in length and was found on reeds at the edge of a marsh pond. Any ideas what it will turn into?


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Jason, I wonder whether that might be the Reed Dagger moth :hmm:

Here's a link to one - http://www.ispotnature.org/node/295738

and another http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/rainhammarshes/m/rainhammarshes-mediagallery/171383.aspx

Do you think that might be the same as yours? :hmm:

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Davebutterflyman
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Looks a very good shout to me Grayling, well done.
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africamfan
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Can someone ID this Beauty please? It came into the house when we had a very hot day last week and settled for ages.
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Pam M
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Hi Sue, it`s a Scarlet Tiger Moth, he`s lovely isn`t he.
https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/callimorpha-dominula/
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africamfan
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Pam M
Jun 26 2017, 11:13 PM
Hi Sue, it`s a Scarlet Tiger Moth, he`s lovely isn`t he.
https://ukmoths.org.uk/species/callimorpha-dominula/
Thank you Pam!
Oh so he is a Moth not a Butterfly? I don't know how to tell the difference.
I think I will treat myself to a book to ID with. I have bird ID books but nothing for Moths and Butterflies.

Your link won't work for me for some reason.
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Davebutterflyman
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A sunning species as well Suzy and it might be eligible for our moth photo challenge.
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Geoff F
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If you are going to get a book, Suzy, the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects has quite a good butterflies/moths section and is fairly user friendly.

Also A Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain & Ireland by Paul Brock

The fully comprehensive moths books can be rather intimidating for a beginner. I have Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain & Ireland by Waring & Townsend which is good for double checking the difficult species but when browsing through while looking to identify a new species to me I usually start with one of the other simplified books with larger photographs.

A few years ago I found the Collins Butterfly Guide at a secondhand book stall so I quickly grabbed it. But too late, I realised that it was for Britain and Europe; so it is full of European species which makes for unnecessary confusion. with all those species which never occur here.
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africamfan
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Davebutterflyman
Jun 27 2017, 05:28 PM
A sunning species as well Suzy and it might be eligible for our moth photo challenge.
Thanks Dave.
Funny you mention the challenge because I have just posted on the spotting discussion thread, saying how I don't understand the challenge thing, I don't know where to find the info on it.
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africamfan
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Geoff F
Jun 27 2017, 08:13 PM
If you are going to get a book, Suzy, the Collins Complete Guide to British Insects has quite a good butterflies/moths section and is fairly user friendly.

Also A Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain & Ireland by Paul Brock

The fully comprehensive moths books can be rather intimidating for a beginner. I have Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain & Ireland by Waring & Townsend which is good for double checking the difficult species but when browsing through while looking to identify a new species to me I usually start with one of the other simplified books with larger photographs.

A few years ago I found the Collins Butterfly Guide at a secondhand book stall so I quickly grabbed it. But too late, I realised that it was for Britain and Europe; so it is full of European species which makes for unnecessary confusion. with all those species which never occur here.
Thank you for all that information Geoff, that's helpful.
To start with I just want a light weight pocket size book that I can carry in my rucksack or pocket when on one of my walks. I find it's heavy enough with my 2 camera's (one is just a small grab shot) batteries, binoculars etc. So the lighter the books I have the better.
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Davebutterflyman
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Nothing worse than lugging heavy field guides around.
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Geoff F
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Davebutterflyman
Jun 28 2017, 08:46 PM
Nothing worse than lugging heavy field guides around.
And some of them are such complex definitive works about an entire subject, including all the rare options, that you have no chance of getting an identification without spending a lot of time with a microscope!
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