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Murlough Nature Reserve
Murlough Nature Reserve lies on the coast of County Down in Northern Ireland, situated close to Newcastle. It has views of Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the Mourne Mountains and Dundrum Bay. Its 6,000-year-old sand dune system has been managed by the National Trust since 1967, when it became Ireland's first nature reserve. Grid ref: J414351. Features At 697 acres, it is the most extensive example of dune heath within Ireland, with a network of paths and boardwalks through the dunes. Breeding birds include meadow pipit, Eurasian skylark, common cuckoo, European stonechat, common linnet and common reed bunting. Shorehauling grey seal and common seals are also common in the area. Between 50 and 130 common and grey seals regularly use the area for moulting, resting and feeding. Rare plants local to the site are pyramidal orchid and carline thistle. It also has access to a shingle beach and four mile Blue Flag strand. History In 1857, the 4th Marquess of Downshire built Murloug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest. In the east of the county is Strangford Lough and the Ards Peninsula. The largest town is Bangor, on the northeast coast. Three other large towns and cities are on its border: Newry lies on the western border with County Armagh, while Lisburn and Belfast lie on the northern border with County Antrim. Down contains both the southernmost point of Northern Ireland (Cranfield Point) and the easternmost point of Ireland (Burr Point). It was one of two counties of Northern Ireland to have a Protestant majority at the 2001 census. The other Protestant majority County is County Antrim to the north. In March 2018, ''The Sunda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyramidal Orchid
''Anacamptis pyramidalis'', the pyramidal orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the genus ''Anacamptis'' of the family Orchidaceae. The scientific name ''Anacamptis'' derives from Greek ανακάμτειν 'anakamptein' meaning 'bend forward', while the Latin name ''pyramidalis'' refers to the pyramidal form of the inflorescence. Description This hardy plant reaches on average of height, with a maximum of . The stem is erect and unbranched. The basal leaves are linear-lanceolate with parallel venation, up to long, the cauline ones are shorter and barely visible on the stem. The arrangement of hermaphroditic flowers in a compact pyramidal shape is very distinctive and gives the orchid its common name. The colour of the flower varies from pink to purple, or rarely white, and the scent is described as "foxy". The flowers have six tepals, being three small sepals and three petals. Two small petals are on the sides, while the third and lower ( labellum) is large ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithophane Semibrunnea
''Lithophane semibrunnea'', the tawny pinion, is a moth of the Noctuoidea family. It is found in scattered populations in North Africa, central and southern Europe and Asia Minor. Technical description and variation The wingspan is 40–44 mm. Forewing dull wood brown, the inner-marginal half suffused with black brown, blackest on inner margin and in outer half of submedian interspace; veins marked with black scales; lines indistinct; the outer marked by pairs of black dots on veins and a white crescent on submedian fold; the submarginal line by a slighter one; hindwing greyish brown, paler in male, with the terminal area darker.Seitz, A. Ed., 1914 ''Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde'', Verlag Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart Band 3: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen eulenartigen Nachtfalter, 1914 Biology The moth flies in late autumn. Larva green; dorsal and subdorsal lines white; spiracular line broad, yellowish white, m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leucania Loreyi
''Leucania loreyi'', the cosmopolitan, false army worm or nightfeeding rice armyworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in most of African countries, the Indo-Australian subtropics and tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East and Middle East. The species was first described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1827. Description Its wingspan is about 34–44 mm. Forewing greyish ochreous; the veins pale lined with brown, the intervals with brown lines; a short black streak from base below cell; median nervure thickly outlined with fuscous to beyond cell; reniform stigma indicated by a white dot at lower angle of cell; outer line by a row of black dots on veins; a triangular brown subapical patch edged above by an oblique pale streak from apex; hindwing white, the veins towards termen fuscous; abdominal tufts beneath formed of coarse scalelike brown black hairs. Ecology The larva is reddish grey, and yellowish bet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hysterophora Maculosana
''Hysterophora maculosana'', the bluebell conch, is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found from most of Europe, east to the Crimea, Asia Minor and the Palestinian territories. The habitat consists of woodland areas. The wingspan is 10–14 mm. Adult males have whitish hindwings, whereas those of the female are dark.Meyrick describes it - Forewings white, more or less strigulated with grey ; basal area and broad cloudy direct antemedian fascia dark grey, spotted in disc with black and sometimes ferruginous ; a curved stria from tornus not reaching costa, and a subapical fascia dark grey ; apex and termen streaked with ferruginous. Hindwings in male white, costa, termen, and some anteapical spots dark fuscous, in female wholly dark grey.The larva is white ; dorsal, spiracular, and subspiracular lines pale ferruginous ; spots pale ferruginous ; head pale brown ; plate of 2 black. Adults are on wing from April and June. The larvae feed on the flowers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyrausta Cingulata
''Pyrausta cingulata'', the silver-barred sable, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. It is found in Europe. The wingspan is 14–18 mm. The forewings are blackish with a narrow very slightly sinuate white fascia beyond middle ; tips of cilia white. Hindwings are as forewings, but fascia slightly curved.Meyrick, E., 1895 ''A Handbook of British Lepidoptera'' MacMillan, Londopdf Keys and description The moth flies from May to August depending on the location. The larvae probably feed on wild thyme ('' Thymus polytrichus''). References External links * ''Pyrausta cingulata'' at UKMoths cingulata Moths described in 1758 Moths of Europe Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Pyrausta (moth)-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agrotis Ripae
''Agrotis ripae'', the sand dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1823. It is found in western Europe and North Africa and extends east across the Palearctic to steppe areas in Russia, Mongolia and Siberia. Description The wingspan is 32–42 mm. Forewing rufous brown or rufous grey, mixed with white; a costal streak and the veins whitish; stigmata outlined with brown, the reniform with the centre dark; marginal area often paler; hindwing in male white, in female with the veins and margin grey. It is a seacoast species or survives in wastes once washed by the sea; occurring in Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Russia; in Mongolia and Siberia, and in Egypt. It is a remarkably variable species of which the chief forms are ab. ''nebulosa'' Stph. a pale grey form, with the costa, base, and outer margin fuscous; ''desertorum'' Bsd. ow a full speciesfrom southern Russia, Siberia and Egypt is grey with the lines an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deilephila Porcellus
''Deilephila porcellus'', the small elephant hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Distribution It is found in Europe, North Africa and western Asia. Description The wingspan is . The moth flies from May to July depending on the location. The forewings are ochreous with a faint olive tinge; the front margin is edged and blotched with pinkish, and there is a broad but irregular band of the same colour on the outer margin. The hindwings are blackish on their upper margin, pinkish on their outer margin, and ochreous tinged with olive between. The fringes are chequered whitish, sometimes tinged with pink. The head, thorax, and body are pinkish, more or less variegated with olive; the thorax has a patch of white hairs above the base of the wings. It is highly variable in colouration. In drier and warmer and arid areas of Asia Minor and Central Asia the pink colouration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lasiommata Megera
''Lasiommata megera'', the wall or wall brown, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (subfamily Satyrinae). It is widespread in the Palearctic realm with a large variety of habitats and number of generations a year. Description ''P. megera'' L. Seitz. A. in Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, ''Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter'', 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren) Range The species lives in North Africa, Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, the Middle East, western Siberia, northern Tian Shan, Dzungarian Alatau, Kazakhstan and Dzungaria. Habitats Habitats include forest edges and clearings, shrubby areas in ravines and river valleys and sparse woodlands. It is also found in mountain habitats up to above sea level. Life history The imago flies from April to October in two or three generations depending on locality and altitude. The larva feeds on grasses in the genera ''Festuca'', ''Bromus'', ''De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leptidea Juvernica
''Leptidea reali'', the Réal's wood white, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. Appearance, behaviour and distribution Réal's wood white has been found in many western Europe countries but has not been found in Britain. In Ireland, where it was only positively identified in 2001, it is more common and far more widespread than the wood white (''L. sinapis''). Since it looks and behaves like its close relative further research is needed to discover its true distribution, indeed on the continent its current known distribution is suspiciously patchy. The only conclusive way to separate the two species is by close examination of the genitalia. A 2011 study concludes that ''L. reali'' is one of three members of a cryptic species complex which comprises ''L. sinapis'' and a new species ''L. juvernica''. This study was based on karyotype analysis and analysis of mitochondrial nuclear DNA markers. ''L. reali'' was found to occur only in Spain, Italy and southern France. ''L. juve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grayling (butterfly)
The grayling or rock grayling (''Hipparchia semele'') is a species in the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Although found all over Europe, the grayling mostly inhabits coastal areas, with inland populations declining significantly in recent years. The grayling lives in dry and warm habitats with easy access to the sun, which helps them with body temperature regulation. A grayling goes through four stages in its life cycle. The eggs hatch around August, and larvae grow in four instars from August to the following June. By June, the larvae begin to pupate by spinning a silk cocoon below the surface of the ground. The adult grayling emerges around August. The grayling migrates in small groups of two or three butterflies throughout most of August, typically moving southeast. ''H. semele'' engages in cryptic coloring, with their tan and brown colored wings helping them camouflage into their surroundings. The grayling exposes the eyespots on its wings when it believes to have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark Green Fritillary
The dark green fritillary (''Speyeria aglaja'') is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The insect has a wide range in the Palearctic realm - Europe, Morocco, Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Description in Seitz The large fritillary is fiery reddish yellow above, the basal area of the male being always duller. The markings are constant: a black margin, a row of deep black but thin marginal arcs, a very straight, central row of dots, of which only the last one of the forewing is shifted distad; between this row of dots and the base there are six thin black transverse bands extending from the subcostal vein into the wing. The underside of the hindwing is characteristic; it bears numerous silver-spots on a partly verdigris partly leather-yellow ground, but never a row of ocelli in the marginal area, as is the case in the forms of the Niobe fritillary (''Fabriciana niobe'') and high brown fritillary (''F. adippe''). Seitz. A. in Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
