Big Game - _TNY_1793
I work nights and when I get home early in the morning it is not uncommon for me to find moths sleeping on the side of the house after a busy night of partying and dating.
One morning in late August I got really lucky though and found Sweden's largest moth, the blue underwing (Catocala fraxini), also known as the Clifden nonpareil (much cooler name).
It is a moth of the family Erebidae and has a wingspan of up to 100 mm which is pretty massive for a moth here.
Not showing in this shot with it sitting on the leaves of a European barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is the reason behind its name. They have dark hind wings with a lovely blue band across them.
Before setting it down on the barberry, I was trying to help it get out and up from behind a couple of rocks and when this guy bumped into my hand, I really felt it. From a moth!
Big Game - _TNY_1793
I work nights and when I get home early in the morning it is not uncommon for me to find moths sleeping on the side of the house after a busy night of partying and dating.
One morning in late August I got really lucky though and found Sweden's largest moth, the blue underwing (Catocala fraxini), also known as the Clifden nonpareil (much cooler name).
It is a moth of the family Erebidae and has a wingspan of up to 100 mm which is pretty massive for a moth here.
Not showing in this shot with it sitting on the leaves of a European barberry (Berberis vulgaris) is the reason behind its name. They have dark hind wings with a lovely blue band across them.
Before setting it down on the barberry, I was trying to help it get out and up from behind a couple of rocks and when this guy bumped into my hand, I really felt it. From a moth!