Saturday 21 July 2012

Here comes the sun

At last! It's a dazzling morning and I'm also glowing with virtue after reading the Gipton Methodist newsletter which I much enjoy. It's a mixture of jokes and good sense; for example, the story of a mother who stops her sons arguing over a toy by saying that Jesus always thought of other people first. "Let's play that," says the sharper of the pair. "Johnny, you can be Jesus."

There's also a good poem about the weather we've been having, with the couplet:
Someone, somewhere prays for rain to bless the thirsting earth
Someone dreads the days of drought for drought means death and dearth.

Though whether that will console the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show, whose cancellation amid a mudbath has cost them over £2 million, is another matter.

Now here are excitingly long, thin pictures called How Moths in Leeds Cope with the Rain. First of all, a Common Footman makes use of it, sipping alone amid the raindrops on the trap cover.


Next a Garden Rose Tortrix micro (I believe) tucks itself into the smallest, dryest space it can find.


Then the micro Anania coronata wisely shields itself by clinging to the right (underneath) side of the trap top.


A very pretty Garden Carpet (I think) takes refuge on top of an eggbox 


While a Plain Golden Y (I hope) finds an even higher perch.


And finally, another Common Footman goes floating in the puddle at the middle of the trap bowl.


It didn't drown. The picture on the left shows it heading for the towel room after I made it a small raft from an eggbox and helped it on to dry land. Sorry it's blurred, but the moth was on the move.

Now I must go out into the sunshine and see belatedly what last night has brought to the trap.

2 comments:

sarah meredith said...

We were sitting on our back porch looking over the land tonight - hot and scorched here in Delaware County - when a gorgeous monarchist butterfly flitted over and Greg and both thought of you and England's wet summer and wished that there was some way to share the damp and the dry. xxs

MartinWainwright said...

Ooooh Penny and I are jealous. Just uploading some sunny French pictures of butterflies for the next post had me wishing the big yellow ball would come back into our drizzly skies and STAY THERE

Still olde England is very green and beautiful even so, so we mustn't grumble. Hoping to see you and Greg and the family before too many moons (or suns) roll round.

Olympics here we come... Tome and Ab's 'best girl' Susie Rodgers is in the British Paralympic swimming team and we'll be there urging her on. xx M