Oak Eggar Moth......Beautiful!!!!

Well....so far I have had a truly great day!! Finished nightshift this morning, and it was sunny. Had planned to revisit Whitelee Windfarm after work, but then I saw that they had a ranger service doing a guided walk a little later today, looking at plants growing in peat bogs!! SO...decided I'd hold off and go to that!!

Was a great couple of hours...very interesting!! Even more so that two rangers on days off turned up with their cameras...to tag along looking for insects to shoot!!!!! Now....I've not seen many butterflies, damselflies, etc....and if I have I've NEVER been able to get anywhere near close for a shot!!!

Half way through, the two 'shooters' were heard behind the group...very excited...about THIS moth!! They had gently captured it so all could see it close up!!! WELL....I am utterly petrified of moths!!! It's totally irrational...and their little hairy bodies freak me even more!!! I can't be in the same room as one!!!

Yet when I looked at this....I have to say one word....WOW!!!! He/she was a furry beauty!! I'm sorry if being in a jar is not very pleasing on the eye...the lid was off, but it wasn't for coming back out!!! I took other shots once it did come out onto the surrounding vegetation....but NONE captured this detail...it's eye and under body, that was a mass of fur too!! You could have stroked it!!

If you would like to see it in a more natural environment, and see it's lovely wing detail...look HERE!!! It's worth seeing too!!



Anyway...I am truly pooped now...need a sleep!!!! Too much excitement for one day!!! :-))))



Have a good day yourself!!!

:-)))


Ps...hope our ID was right today!!!




AND....THANKYOU for yesterday's Spotlight hit!!!!! XXXXXXXX