Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth amidst autumn flowers ( centre foreground on Verbena flowers)
A whirr and blur of wings amidst the pulse of life. A tiny moth amidst Painted Lady butterflies. The Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth hovers beside purple verbena, its long proboscis sipping nectar from their flowers. Its distinctive flight catches the eye, a flash of orange from the hind wings and black and white patterning on the 'tail,' the rapid beating of wings. It's a gift, this lovely moth, something unexpected.
A lawn below the castle rises to an embankment of wild flowers, then a terrace walk runs between a double barn and the 12th century tower where house martin and swallows breed. The castle wall might once have been a defensive structure but now its the backdrop to a herbaceous border. A south-facing wall with vines, green grapes and pears. Butterflies apricate on sun-drenched bricks, lichened and weathered. How many insects over-winter amongst the vines and in crevice and niche in that wall.
A lawn below the castle rises to an embankment of wild flowers, then a terrace walk runs between a double barn and the 12th century tower where house martin and swallows breed. The castle wall might once have been a defensive structure but now its the backdrop to a herbaceous border. A south-facing wall with vines, green grapes and pears. Butterflies apricate on sun-drenched bricks, lichened and weathered. How many insects over-winter amongst the vines and in crevice and niche in that wall.
During September days dominated by Atlantic lows and heavy rain it would have been impossible for butterflies to feed. Today the temperature reaches 15 degrees, after a cold night. There is clarity and bight sunlight so what autumn butterflies might be found on the second day of sun at Sizergh Gardens? Herbaceous borders will be bright with an array of flowers so here, if anywhere, there could be butterflies. What species might show?
To the kitchen garden where Painted Ladies nectar on Verbena flowers. A father and child stroll by and I can't resist showing the little girl the Painted Lady obligingly child-height on purple Verbena. Her father proudly shows she has butterfly motifs on her clothes. Bright and beautiful, Painted Ladies weave their way through the herbaceous border- the dominant species of the morning. Richly coloured Comma show in small numbers, a Red Admiral or two, a Small Tortoiseshell and, of course, Whites which have been plentiful throughout the summer. This single Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth is, for me, the highlight.
To the kitchen garden where Painted Ladies nectar on Verbena flowers. A father and child stroll by and I can't resist showing the little girl the Painted Lady obligingly child-height on purple Verbena. Her father proudly shows she has butterfly motifs on her clothes. Bright and beautiful, Painted Ladies weave their way through the herbaceous border- the dominant species of the morning. Richly coloured Comma show in small numbers, a Red Admiral or two, a Small Tortoiseshell and, of course, Whites which have been plentiful throughout the summer. This single Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth is, for me, the highlight.
This is the season for Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth to be on the wing and I take the opportunity to show most of my cache of today's images. It's a challenging moth to photograph because of its rapid wing-beats, hovering and flitting through the flowers, never settling. But I can make out that long proboscis, the orange hind-wings and the black and white chequered 'tail.'
The moth is a migrant from Southern Europe and North Africa. They arrive in the UK in May and June, breeding here during summer. Possibly Climate Change is enabling the Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth to overwinter here, certainly its numbers are increasing. Adult moths overwinter in buildings, in cracks in walls so this weathered south-facing wall could provide shelter. Like the Painted Lady, the moth favours purple Verbena flowers as a source of nectar.
All these insects look fresh and bright. Are they recently hatched from the chrysalis? If they'd endured days of heavy rain as adults they'd scarcely look so good. This week, 22-26 September, there has been high pressure with cold nights and brighter days. On Tuesday the cloudscape was stunning, rippling fine white cloud through clustering fine white cumulous. Sunrise on Thursday, about 7.00 am, comes with a clear cloudless sky and pastel sunrise shades.
On 27th September 1947 John F Burton ( Vice President Butterfly Conservation) witnessed an invasion of the migrant Humming-Bird Hawk -Moth through September and October. In Greenwich Park he noticed them hovering by ' nectar- bearing Dahlias.' He saw the last on 1st November that year. My SIzergh images show the moth in a bed of Dahlias and Verbena.
The moth is a migrant from Southern Europe and North Africa. They arrive in the UK in May and June, breeding here during summer. Possibly Climate Change is enabling the Humming-Bird Hawk-Moth to overwinter here, certainly its numbers are increasing. Adult moths overwinter in buildings, in cracks in walls so this weathered south-facing wall could provide shelter. Like the Painted Lady, the moth favours purple Verbena flowers as a source of nectar.
All these insects look fresh and bright. Are they recently hatched from the chrysalis? If they'd endured days of heavy rain as adults they'd scarcely look so good. This week, 22-26 September, there has been high pressure with cold nights and brighter days. On Tuesday the cloudscape was stunning, rippling fine white cloud through clustering fine white cumulous. Sunrise on Thursday, about 7.00 am, comes with a clear cloudless sky and pastel sunrise shades.
On 27th September 1947 John F Burton ( Vice President Butterfly Conservation) witnessed an invasion of the migrant Humming-Bird Hawk -Moth through September and October. In Greenwich Park he noticed them hovering by ' nectar- bearing Dahlias.' He saw the last on 1st November that year. My SIzergh images show the moth in a bed of Dahlias and Verbena.
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