Sunday 20 July 2008

They need ID cards



Two distinctive moths today, but one of them shows the problems of identification, at least for me. The bottom one is a Buff Arches, no doubt about that. But the top one...? It has striking markings - I love the moths with 'metallic', shiny scales like this. But the trouble is, there are about ten types which have very similiar combinations of small silver dots and dashes. The best known is the Silver Y, whose wings carry just that: a silver 'Y'. From my book, this most closely resembles a Ni moth, but that is too rare to be in Leeds I fear. So my best guess is that it is a Beautiful Golden Y. But I am going to consult someone more knowledgeable and come back to you.

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