Cromwell Bottom LNR: Common Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla by Gordon Jackson

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Common Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla by Gordon Jackson

Post By Gordon F.EE.T Member

Greetings once more

Here is the Common Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla post.

Also, I discovered I'd taken a few photos of spider webs with rain drops on them, in early October. I'd forgotten about them until today. I thought I had better post them whilst we are still in October.

First the Common Plume moth. This year, we have had three different plume moths visiting our door. At least there are three types that I've been aware of. As an aside, when I posted the Twenty Plume moth, I said I thought I would never see one. The following night, there were three of them flying around our security light!

Emmelina monodactyla is one of the most common of the 'Plume' moths. In various countries it is known as The T-Moth or Morning-glory Plume Moth. It can be found all over Britain, also in Europe, Japan, central Asia, North Africa and North America. Its wings are divided, but this can be difficult to see. Only the outer third of each wing is split into plumes. The wings are so tightly rolled at rest, that they look as if they are in one piece. A dark central spot on the forewing is usually visible.The wing colour is usually pale brown, but it can be darker. Each pair of spurs on the hind legs, has one spur longer than the other.
Wingspan: 18-27 mm.
Habitat: Gardens, parks, fields and hedges.
Flight: Can be found in the early part of the year, as the adults occur in all months.
Foodplant: The larval food plants are bindweeds, (Convolvulus and Calystegia spp.), occasionally feeding on Morning glory, (Ipomoea). Also, Bilberry, Heather, Goosefoot and several other plants. They feed in two overlapping generations on leaves and flowers from late May to September.

Common Plume Moth, Emmelina monodactyla

Last, here are three spider webs, two with dew on. I'm afraid I don't know what the spider is in the first image. There are only about 10% of the UK spiders that can be easily identified. After that, microscopy / dissection is needed. As FEET is a green organisation, this is something we do not do.