Randomly Selected.

Thursday, October 22 

Before leaving for Kent, I received a letter telling me that I had been 'randomly selected' for a DIY Covid test. I agreed and forgot about it.

I came home from Kent to find a package containing a kit. Lots of stuff to read, links to an online video, a long swab in a package, a sealed phial, stickers and a postage box to construct. I got round to looking at it yesterday, discovering that the first job was to contact the courier service as the test had to be done on the day of collection. I logged on, TO-DAY! The courier could arrive any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and the test had to be completed that morning, ready and waiting, labelled, packaged and in the fridge.

I got up soon after 6. Easy enough to do but not pleasant. Each tonsil had to be roll swabbed for at least 10 secs. If I didn't heave, I wasn't doing it properly. The same swab then had to be inserted into both nostrils - not at the same time - 1 inch inside and roll swabbed for 5 seconds. I succeeded pretty well, with lots of sneezing on completion.

The courier arrived at 3.30.

We've still been trapping moths, despite the long periods of rain. We had 29 moths of 16 species this morning. Feathered Thorn was new for the year. 

 

We also had a new Ichneumon wasp. Not sure as to exact species, they're difficult. Definitely an Ophion but is it a luteus or an obscuratus - or something else.Both named species come to moth traps.

 

One of my favourite moths is the Herald. Another new for the year and a super specimen. 

 

The adults overwinter in caves, barns or outbuildings.Old pillboxes are a favourite hiding place.

There are  a few November moth species which are difficult to tell apart unless genitalia detted.

This is a November agg. (the approved nomenclature). Very attractive in an understated way.