. The book of the garden. Gardening. FIGURE OF EIGHT MOTH. Male and larva. Noctua cceruleocephala of others), was deno- minated by Linnaeus the pest of Pomona, and the destroyer of the blossoms of the apple, pear, and cherry. The moth in its perfect state exceeds 1 inch in length between the tips of its extended wings. The fore wings are bluish grey, with evanescent cloudy spots, having a lighter-coloured spot in their centre, on which there is a peculiar mark, somewhat resembling the figure 8. The under wings are of an ashy-greyish colour, with a dull spot on their middle. The antennae of the
. The book of the garden. Gardening. FIGURE OF EIGHT MOTH. Male and larva. Noctua cceruleocephala of others), was deno- minated by Linnaeus the pest of Pomona, and the destroyer of the blossoms of the apple, pear, and cherry. The moth in its perfect state exceeds 1 inch in length between the tips of its extended wings. The fore wings are bluish grey, with evanescent cloudy spots, having a lighter-coloured spot in their centre, on which there is a peculiar mark, somewhat resembling the figure 8. The under wings are of an ashy-greyish colour, with a dull spot on their middle. The antennae of the male are pectinated, those of the female filiform, and in both are of a rusty-brown colour. The thorax is of the same colour as the fore wings ; the abdomen, with the extremity of the body, is similar in colour to the hind wings. Pairing takes place either in autumn or in the following spring, immediately after which the female lays her eggs singly on the trees. The caterpillars have thick fleshy bodies, and are much sought after by birds, which seem to luxuriate upon them. They are exceedingly voi\acious,andspeedily strip a tree of its foliage. They attain their full size in Juno, at which time they are nearly 2 inches in length, and yearly fths of an inch in thickness, of a yellowish-green colour, with three pale-yellow stripes running longitudinally, the centre one being somewhat broader than the others. The head is small, of a bluish colour, having two black circular spots upon it; on the body are many black tubercles, each bearing a single hair. Previous to entering the pupa state, they repair to the stems of trees, where they construct a nest of moss, small chips of wood-dust, &c, in which they abide for three weeks before the pupa transformation takes place. The pupa is small, dull, reddish brown, and cylindrical in form. In this state it usually remains three months, more or less. The moth appears in October and November, and sometimes not till April or May. Were i
Size: 1364px × 1833px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, booksubjectgardening, bookyear18
