Greece

A huge number of blue butterflies, feeding on mud to get salts, taken by Martin Warren in the Kackar mountains of north-east Turkey. Guess how many!

OK Bluesky, lets play "how many butterflies in one picture". Here's mine to start, taken on an extraordinary @greenwingstours.bsky.social tour to the Kackars in north-east Turkey.

Thanks 😃 well I kind of prefer the English names as they are descriptive and often quite funny. Swedish ones have a tendency to be “Dull-coloured Whatnot-Hostplant Moth” 🤪

Just ordered, who can resist a book about moths? 🦋🐛🦋

Interesting! 🌸🌼🦋🐝🪲

The Scarce Fritillary (E maturna) has almost vanished from the western part of its European distribution. Further east the species can still be more widespread. The photo shows a female laying a batch of eggs on Ash (Fraxinus). After hibernation the larvae leave the tree and feed on herbs.

Moths attracted to a UV light

There are ~22,000 #moths in Australia but only half have been scientifically described to date. Far from being drab or boring, their diversity is amazing as this account will try to show #mothsmatter #teammoth

Interested in #moth trapping?

Ever wondered why different bulbs collect different species?

Or why some species are particularly threatened by light pollution?

Using 100,000+ samples from the GMS (@gardenmothscheme.bsky.social), our new pre-print addresses these questions and more (thread)

Data Paper in ESA Ecology with native range maps for 10,000+ butterfly species 🦋 worldwide by Barnabas H. Daru

👉 doi.org/10.1002/ecy....

🌐

New guide to managing urban habitats for butterflies! 💯🦋

Having mentioned trap tweaks, here are the two that I have made to my Robinsons:
1️⃣ a duct-taped petrol funnel that reduces the funnel opening
2️⃣ black plastic to cover the transparent lid so that moths keep calm inside
#teammoth #mothsmatter #nattfjärilar

Relevant in many countries 🦋🐛🚜🌲

Why flying insects gather at artificial light - Nature Communications It is unclear why flying insects congregate around artificial light sources. Here, the authors use high-speed videography and motion-capture, finding that insects fly perpendicular to light sourc...

Why do insects fly around artificial lights? They don't actually want to fly towards them, they just can't really get away from them.
Insects naturally tilt their dorsum towards a light source, and as a result end up flying around it in circles, trapped.
🧪 🦋
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New paper! 🧪🌍
Contrasting responses of bats & macro-moths to structural complexity in #forest borders

#TerrestrialLaserScanning
Bats responded ➕ moths ➖ to structurally complexity
Open understories, warmer, more humid -> higher #bat activity but lower #moth #diversity
doi.org/10.1016/j.fo...

We are far from conserving migratory butterflies. Our new
paper shows that current protected areas are inadequate for
👉84% of migratory butterfly species in at least one season
👉45% of species in all seasons. (1/7)
doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

Better luck with the Lund #mothtrap today: 2 Angle Shades, 1 Satellite & 1 Black-Spot Chestnut #teammoth #mothsmatter

Great stuff!

Having the soemwhat awkward name ”Strimmig smalvingemätare” in Swedish
#teammoth #mothsmatter #teammothsweden

Angle Shades, Phlogophora meticulosa

Black-spot Chestnut, Conistra rubiginosa

Ecology Building moth trap, Lund

❄️❄️❄️

These tiny guys are brave ❄️❄️
Not the same ones as yesterday
#mothsmatter #teammoth #teammothsweden

Urban Wonder: Rare Butterfly Thrives in One of Ecuador's Largest Cities Found in greater numbers in Loja, Ecuador, than nearby wild areas, could Catasticta truncata be a flagship species for promoting conservation in the region?

In Loja, Ecuador, a city of 200k people, Catasticta truncata thrives in greater numbers than nearby wild areas. It lays eggs on a mistletoe that parasitizes an abundant willow tree in the city. One entomologist says the butterfly could be a flagship species for promoting conservation in the region.

Nettles are good for many! 🐛🦋🪲

Great to see this species confirmed in Berkshire - congrats to Dave, and thanks to Peter Hall for the dissection work, which can be seen at mothdissection.co.uk/species.php?... - have posted a bit more info on upperthamesmoths.blogspot.com/2024/12/spin... #TeamMoth

Too busy for bees? 🐝

Road verges can support flower-visiting insects, but traffic matters! 🚗 Although high flower density along road benefits wild bees & butterflies, conservation efforts should focus on roads with low traffic or wide verges 🦋

🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Bright yellow and orange flowers attracting 4 Anicia Checkerspot butterflies which are red, black, and white.

Orange Sneezeweed (Hymenoxys hoopesii) is an absolute butterfly magnet!

Anicia Checkerspots (Euphydryas anicia) enjoying an all you can eat buffet in Colorado's Wet Mountains, at 10,700'.

Big thanks to @frwildflowers.bsky.social for the flower ID!

Our old #Ryrholm trap at the Ecology Building in #Lund, soon to get a massive makeover #teammoth #mothsmatter

Nice read! 🐛🦋

The Grey Asian Grayling (Pseudochazara geyeri) is a rare and declining butterfly in Europe, restricted to two mountains where Greece, Albania and N Macedonia meet.

Ryrholm trap “Damien” at the Ecology Building Lund

The Chestnut

Diamond-back Moth

Not much in the ground level #mothtrap today but temperature around 0. One Chestnut Conistra vaccinii & one Diamond-back
Moth Plutella xylostella though #teammoth #mothsmatter

Lots of effort put in to the micros this season, with 70 odd NFGs.
Micro moth lures resulted in some interesting records, including a handful Pammene suspectana.
Newcastle, Staffs (VC39) #TeamMoth

Interesting find! 🦋🚙🚗🚙🌛