My first moth species of 2013 – the appropriately-named Early Moth Theria primaria. The mild start to the year brought this winter-flying species out in force on Jan 03 – my earliest ever date by just over a week. At least 31 of these males were present perched on a mixed hedgerow at Gleddoch, near Langbank, Renfrewshire.
These winter-flying moths look pretty dull but they fascinate me – in lepidopteran terms, they are the very antithesis of finding a nice fritillary on a warm, sunny May afternoon.
My sightings of this species in 2010 were the first Renfrewshire Vice County records, but I've found them to be fairly abundant in the right habitat (hawthorn and blackthorn hedgerows). Look for these wee moths on the very tips of hawthorn/blackthorn stems on January nights. They sit with their wings closed, exposing the pale undersides so they readily reflect light from a torch, making them easy to spot. I've found that a well-managed hedge is better than one that's grown wild.
I took hours of searching before I found my first female, however ...
Like many of these winter moths, the female is flightless – retaining only the stubs of wings. These are really tiny, just a few millimetres. This was a lucky spot last winter but I'm told the best way to find them is to look for congregations of males – who use their feathered antennae to pick up her pheromones.
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