Wednesday, 9 March 2011

One to look for....Luffia lapidella f.ferchaultella ..

http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds2/mothimagesluffialapidellaferchaultella.htm
Needle and Haystack
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5 comments:

charlie streets said...

So I'm looking for something that's 2.5mm long and looks exactly like a piece of lichen on a tree covered in lichen - how can I possibly fail :-)

I reckon Psyche casta is a better bet(just).

9 March 2011 at 23:43
Goldon Gordon said...

The real problem with these bagworms I found was having the confidence they occur in Calderdale in the first place. I am sure they do but when you have not seen one in the flesh so to speak you tend to pack it in quickly when you don't find any. When I was shown various bagworms on trip in Cheshire a few years back they were dead easy to spot once you got your eye in. But and its big but, they seemed to occur on one tree among many that looked no differant to any others nearby that did not have any bagworms on them. Once they start being found in Calderdale I expect them to be more widespread than we thought.

It might be a good idea if a few of you got togther and visted someone like Steve Hinds the Cheshire micro recorder or maybe Ian Smith and get them to take you out on a trip to get your eye in. Steve and Ian are both happy to take people round to look for micros. Steve came to Calderdale twice and took me and Ian Kimber out to get us started on leaf mines which we had struggled with before Steve gave us the lesson

10 March 2011 at 00:51
charlie streets said...

Narycia duplicella always seems to be recorded widely in Yorkshire so I see no reason why it shouldn't occur here.

This bit from UK moths on lapidella is interesting:

"The cased larvae feed, often gregariously, on lichen on tree trunks and, sometimes, on posts, sloe branches, or rocks. After the moth has emerged, the empty cases, about 6mm long, remain fully exposed on the trunk into the following spring when they can alert attention to the presence of the smaller occupied cases, often concealed in crevices."

6mm long and fully exposed - now we're talking!

10 March 2011 at 02:54
Goldon Gordon said...

6mm long and fully exposed....not much to brag about there Charlie I would keep quiet about that if I were you... LMAO :-))

10 March 2011 at 04:50
Goldon Gordon said...

Oh it did Charlie, it really did :-)

Sue is bringing the box of goodies for you and Andy to browse through. I will get her to phone you Andy to arrange a time to drop the box off

11 March 2011 at 09:54

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