Dark Spectacle


Long overdue as a garden tick this morning was Dark Spectacle (above). I've only ever seen this species down at Dungeness, so I don't come across it very often. The garden macro list now stands at 397 species (since 1987). Of these I have recorded 37 species just the once. Why I thought that fact might be of interest to you, I don't know...

Comments

Stewart said…
That is surprising Steve. I didnt realise they were so localised. I dont get too many but they are annual, and in some gardens up here they are more regular than its commoner cousin... Its all down to the food plant I suppose?
4 September 2014 at 20:21
Steve Gale said…
Well Stewart, the 'Larger Moths of Surrey', published in 1997, refer to the species as 'local and rare'. The provisional atlas for larger moths (UK) does show my area as not overrun with black dots, so maybe it is truly scarce in my neck of the woods!
4 September 2014 at 20:41
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