Species Spotlight Challenge - Day 28 - Two moths - Angle Shades and Dusky Thorn

 I decided to put the moth trap out again last night, for the first time in a little while ( the gap was mostly because of the rain and wind and only occasionally because I didn't want to get up early in the morning to empty the trap).

More than half of the moths I caught were a single species (and one that I have talked about in this blog before - Day 2 - Large Yellow Underwing), but I did catch three more unusual ones - an Angle Shades (Phlogophora meticulosa) and two Dusky Thorns (Ennomos fuscantaria). Although I've caught Angle Shades a couple of times I've never even seen Dusky Thorn before and had to consult the books to arrive at the correct identification (NOTE: there are several fairly similar species of Thorns so if any real moth experts out there think I've got this one wrong, please let me know).

Angle Shades (top) and one of two 
Dusky Thorns (bottom)

Although there is a good chance that you will have never seen either of these moths before, they are both fairly common in gardens in most of England, with Angle Shades being found nearly everywhere in Britain and Ireland.

The Angle Shades can be seen in every month of the year although it is more likely to be encountered between April and November. Dusky Thorn however is definitely a moth of late summer and autumn.

One reason why you are unlikely to have seen either of these species is that they are both extremely good at hiding during the daytime. Although they look very obvious sitting on my garden table, when I visualise them sitting in a bush or on a tree, particularly in the autumn, I can see how easy it would be to walk past without noticing them at all. This, of course, is a strategy that has evolved to protect these insects from being spotted by birds and other predators while they are resting during the day, prior to coming out to feed, mate, lay eggs etc., at night.

An Angle Shades moth on my finger
 

A Dusky Thorn moth - like the Angle Shades it is easy to imagine
a hungry bird passing this by thinking it was a dead leaf