Like the butterflies, the English names of the larger moths are now so well standardised in South's work, "Butterflies of the British Isles" and ""Moths of the British Isles" that, for the purposes of this report, it is felt that they will entirely suffice on their own.
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| Lime Hawk | Occasional. Lime trees are few in this area. |
| Popular Hawk | Occasional. Mostly on the row of poplars (Populus x canadensis) on the south boundary of our area. Also on the scattered Willows. |
| Eyed Hawk | Occasional. Not yet observed in the recent Sallow scrub, but probably occurring there by now. |
| Elephant Hawk | Quite frequent, mostly observed as larvae, which are very large and impressive on Rosebay Willowherb in drier grassland, in August and early September. The apparently senseless mowing of the valuable grassland along the east side of the south field has reduced this species to a fraction of its former strength, and it is very much hoped that the grass and Rose-Bay of this patch will be allowed to grow again. |
| Puss Moth | Quite frequent, mostly as eggs or larvae on Sallows, Willows, and Poplars. The cocoons of this species make a remarkable educational exhibit. |
| Swallow Prominent | Rare on Poplars. A London speciality. |
| Buff-Tip | Common. Another classic educational species of self-protective gregarious larvae, which are conspicuous on (stripped) deciduous trees in midsummer. The moths themselves exhibit remarkable camouflage. |
| Vapourer | Common. Another ,educational species, whose wingless females and spectacular assembling behaviour of the males are both well known. |
| Yellow-Tail | Scarce. |
| White Satin | Local. Ancient literature gives Lea Bridge Road as a classic locality for this species, which is more of a London speciality than anywhere else in Britain. Larvae are occasionally seen on Poplars near Lea Bridge Road, and elsewhere in the area during late Spring. |
| Lackey | Scarce. Probably more plentiful further north in the Lea Valley. |
| White Ermine | Common. Larvae frequent on low plants in Autumn. |
| Buff Ermine | Common. Larvae with the above in Autumn. |
| Muslin Moth | Occasional. Larvae more often seen than the Moth. |
| Ruby Tiger | Occasional. Larvae of similar habits to the last. |
| Garden Tiger | Common. Young larvae emerge from hibernation in Spring, and feed up quickly to become "Woolly Bears" by late June/early July. They feed on most low plants. Very beautiful, brightly-coloured moths. |
| Cinnabar | Very common. The bright red and black moths (not to be confused with Burnets) fly lazily by day over rough grassland in June. The conspicuous black and yellow zebra-striped larvae are abundant on Common Ragwort in August, and admirably exhibit the phenomenon of "Warning Colouration" to predators. |
| Sycamore | A London speciality, quite common in the area. |
| Popular Grey | Also a London speciality. Common on Poplars and Willows. |
| Grey Dagger | The larvae are remarkably pretty, feeding on Lime and Hawthorn. |
| Dark Dagger | Rare, but the moth is exceedingly difficult to separate from the last. |
| Knotgrass Moth | Common. It is a frequent sight to observe the coloured larvae on low vegetation in Autumn, or to see the "foam" of parasitic wasp cocoons heaped upon their shrivelled skin remains. |
| Marbled Beauty | Very common in the Clapton and South Tottenham areas, which means that the Marshes must represent the only area where their larvae could effectively breed in order to support these numbers.*
* This situation applies to very many, and probably to most, of the moth species encountered in the urban regions on all sides of the Walthamstow site. The urban impoverishment of these harmless and interesting and often attractive insects would be incalculable if this area's vital foodplant reserve were destroyed. Predatory birds in turn would then obviously suffer from this great loss of insect prey. |
From this point on, I shall not repeat these details for each species listed. A few further species will be accompanied by notes as to their status and features at Walthamstow, and then the majority that remain will
simply be listed without additional comment.
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| Tawny Shears | Rare. Larvae feed within Bladder Campion capsules. Much commoner examples of these Campion-capsule-feeders include the Lychnis and Campion moths themselves. An interesting group, altogether. |
| Frosted Orange | Rare, but persistent. Larvae bore into Composite stems. |
| Wainscot Moth | Various Wainscot Moths depend upon Reed-grasses in marshes for their survival. The larvae bore into the stems to feed, and the moths are thatch-coloured for reed-bed camouflage. The Common and Smoky Wainscots are generally common, but the Walthamstow specialities in this group are the Small Dotted Buff, the Small Wainscot, the Shoulder-striped Wainscot, the Large Wainscot, and above all, the Bulrush Wainscot, whose very large larvae feed within the stems of Reed Mace (Typha latifolia) in fair numbers each August. The occurrence of Wainscot Moths in marshes and fens could well be an indication of antiquity. |
| Dunbar Moth | Larvae quite common on deciduous foliage in May/June. They have no objection to obtaining their foliage in predigested form from within their brethren... a notorious cannibal! |
| Brown Spot Pinion | Common. The larvae are numerous on Meadowsweet foliage in June. |
| Silver Y | Day-flying migrant moths common or abundant in late Summer. |
| Herald | One of the most beautiful Nactuid moths. Larvae on Poplars. Occasional. |
| Red Underwing | The largest and most spectacular of our resident moths, a speciality of London and particularly the Lea Valley (much scarcer or absent elsewhere in Britain). Quite common at Walthamstow and Clapton. The larvae feed on Poplars and Willows in early Summer, and the adults sit on the tree trunks and nearby fences in August, where their camouflage is quite effective. A very alert species even when resting by day. The brilliant hind-wing red is flashed when disturbed. |
| Leopard Moth | Very rare. |
| Red-belted Clearwing | Rare. Larvae feed beneath Hawthorn bark in early Summer. |
| Ghost Swift | Variable in numbers at Walthamstow, but I have seen a fair quantity of males quartering the grassland at dusk. A most remarkable sight. |
| Common Swift | Generally common. Larvae feed on grass roots throughout the Winter. |
| Six-Spot Burnet | Day-flying moths common and brilliantly coloured in July sunshine. |
The following species breed on the Marshes, and, as stated before, would, in many cases, largely or entirely depend on the rich marsh and meadow flora for their survival in this area, and therefore, their occurrence (usually attracted to lights) in the surrounding residential areas, also:
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