Moooths!

'Moths! They come out at niiiiiight!
Moths! They able to fliiiiight!
Moths! Theyre confused by liiiiight!
Moths! Theyre mothylicious!
Moths! Theyre not delicious!
Moths! Mooooooooths! Moooooooths!'

Several months ago I went on a field trip and did a project on moths. My boyfriend decided he wanted to help and composed the above song.

As I am currently snowed under with writing up the results of said project, I decided to write a post all about moths!

This will take the form of a 'top ten' of my favourite moths which we caught during the week, and why they are so awesome (because moths are awesome, and I never realised it before).

10. Burnished Brass

 

Yes, its wings really were that shiny!

 

9. Cinnabar

These moths liked to play dead, which made testing their behaviour very difficult. Then after a while they became extremely active, meaning I spent a lot of time chasing the escapees around the lab trying to catch them again.

Its bright colours are a warning signal to predators that the moth is unpalatable. The larvae absorb toxic and bitter compounds from the plants they eat, which are then incorporated into their own body.


8. Beautiful Golden Y

It really lives up to its name with the purple and gold colouration. The wings are also slightly reflective (although not as much as the Burnished Brass above).

7. Eyed Hawkmoth

 (my own photo)

This is the first of the hawkmoths to make the list, although all of the ones we caught were amazing in their own right. I loved this one because of the beautiful eye spots and the unusual wing posture (which was a characteristic shared by some other hawkmoths, such as the poplar which just missed out on this list).

6. Alder Kitten

The first morning I genuinely thought a bird had managed to poo inside the trap... but it was just a very well disguised moth!

5. Elephant Hawkmoth

 

Like many others on the field trip, I was surprised that moths this brightly coloured lived in the UK. There are two species, the Large E.H and the Small E.H, which can be told apart by their wing shape. The photo above is the L.E.H.

4. Pale Tussock

 (my own photo)

Nicknamed Yeti Moth by my friend, partially for its fluffy white appearance and partially for its habit of holding its wings up as seen in the photo above.

3. Buff Tip

The camouflage on this moth is incredible.

Is it a twig? Or is it a moth?

2. Privet Hawkmoth

I will never forget that moment on the first morning when, after finding lots of smaller moths, we turned over another part of the trap and saw... this.

 

The Privet hawkmoth is one of the largest moths to live in the UK, and when disturbed it flashes stripes of purple on its abdomen.

1. Buff Arches!

 

The swirly abstract patterning of the wings is very good camouflage for twigs and leaves, as well as being very beautiful.

I haven't gone into too much detail on the moths above as I should really be doing something other than procrastinating right now, but I hope you enjoyed that quick glimpse at the diversity of moths in the UK!

On a more general note...

As a China Mieville fan, I could really see where he got the inspiration for the slake moths in Perdido Street Station from - not just the insect facial features, but also the incredible wing patterns.

 (my own photo)

I also loved some of the crazy names naturalists have given moths over the years: Uncertain, Anomalous and Pebble Prominent were some of my favourites.

(disclaimer, all of the photos except those marked as my own were found on google. If you are the owner of one of these pictures and do not wish for me to use it, please contact me.)

Guide to steampunk: Part 1 - what is steampunk?

One of our Christmas balls has a steampunky kind of Victorian theme, and a few of my uni friends have been asking me if I would help them put together an outfit. Hence this series of blog posts, where I will be covering a bit about steampunk as a subculture and as a fashion style.

I hope you find it helpful and mildly interesting! (Disclaimer: there are people who know way more about this stuff than I do. I do not claim to know everything. Rather, this is what I do know, and I hope it is helpful to those of you who are curious about the genre)
 
First up: What is steampunk?

To put it simply, steampunk is a genre of sci-fi. One of the main features, as the name suggests, is the use of steam power, but any Victorian cultural aspects can also be a part. What I really love about steampunk is its subtle blend of past, present and future.

The father of steampunk is considered to be Jules Verne, but here are a few other examples of steampunk books and authors:




The books are characterised by mixing past and future technology in a steam powered world. The genre has expanded since then and has now developed into styles of fashion and music.

This is my current favourite steampunk song, by the infamous Abney Park: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjRGYE6brQY 
I suppose I would describe the music as a mixture of rock and folk, but like all of steampunk there is no solid definiton!
Other steampunk musicians are Vernian Process, The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, the Clockwork Dolls.... the list goes on. http://www.listal.com/list/steampunk-music
Apparently there is some discussion over this, but I would also consider Emilie Autumn to be steampunky.


Theres even steampunk anime. This one is called Last Exile, and its very good. Heres an awesome AMV (anime music video) for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoQH1vBNdEg

Also, as you hopefully saw, the recent Paralympics Closing Ceremony had a very steampunk theme to it.







So.... Victorian. Industrial. Mad science. Cogs, gears, fire, machinery. Steampunk breaks down genre boundaries and merges various distinct styles together, and nowhere is this more noticeable than in the fashion.

Steampunk fashion, the basics.

Steampunk is a subtle blend of Victorian style and aesthetics with elements of futuristic technology. Bearing that in mind, the fashion style should primarily reflect that Victorian element. Colours are generally browns and blacks, although all colours can be incorporated into an outfit - within reason, that is. Obviously a pink frilly skirt is not appropriate.  

One of the things that I consider to be important about steampunk fashion is choosing items appropriate for a theme.
Let me explain: say I chose (as I have done in the past), to base my steampunk outfit on an aviator/pirate theme. Would a pirate really wear a long skirt and tight corset, complete with hat and fascinator? Obviously there is some interpretation around a theme (I wore a corset for my aviator costume, but I didnt wear a lacy one, if you see what I mean) but in general this is a good thing to bear in mind. This is a lot more applicable to women than men.

This rule can be (if you want) slightly bent when goggles come into play. Goggles have become the universal steampunk symbol, and tend to be incorporated into any outfit no matter the theme. I will certainly be wearing my goggles to the ball! More on the importance of googles when I talk about accessories.  

As I continue this blog series I'll be updating you all on my progress on the costume. Currently I have two ideas, which depend on how much time I have with work and the contents of the as-yet-unexplored Cambridge vintage shops. The first is just to rewear my Goth Weekend outfit, but I'm hoping not to do this if I dont have to. The second is to go in a more lady-like outfit. My plan is to find a skirt (or long dress), and then rewear my ruffle necked white blouse on top (no need if I find a dress). My accessories will be partially reused (as I have no jewellery making stuff with me so cannot update it), but I'll be going more aristocratic than aviator and mixing a few new things in as well. I wont be wearing any of the 'heavy' steampunk accessories such as weaponry or utility belts.

Also I have to bear in mind that Im probably taking this way too seriously and no one else there will be dressed up in a Victorian style. The ball's theme is more Gothic Victorian than steampunk, so I dont want to go too over the top.

Thats all for now! I hope you find the series interesting and helpful, I'll be covering men and womens fashion, accessories and jewellery, as well as some ideas on how to integrate the style into normal everyday wear.

I shall leave you with this marvellous steampunk name generator: http://oobleck.org/steam/ enjoy!

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky x

China Mieville

Book review time!!

OK, seriously, if you're a fan of sci fi, fantasy, steampunk, whatever, READ THIS GUY'S BOOKS.

He has the most incredible imagination of any author I've ever read. His worlds are so detailed, so creative, that you are instantly blown away by what you're reading.
I've read four of his books, but I'm only going to review two here (the others are Embassytown and The City And The City, both of which I would really really recommend. TCATC is unlike the rest of his books, more crime/murder mystery, so would appeal to people who would run a mile from his other works).

If you were to say China Mieville to any sci fi fan, chances are the first book that would spring to their mind would be Perdido Street Station. And no wonder - this book deserves all the acolades and awards that have been bestowed on it.

It's set in the incredible, steam-powered metropolis of New Crobuzon (no one writes cities anywhere near as good as Mieville). Its a melting pot of races and cultures - from the scarab beetle-headed khepri and the frog-like vodyanoi, to the Remade criminals who have had their bodies twisted and mutated under the harsh criminal justice system. Parliament and its militia are brutal, but that doesnt hold back a thriving criminal underworld. Every part of the city is described in fantastic detail.

The story revolves around a scientist named Isaac van Der Grimnebulin, who accepts a commission from a member of a bird race (called the Garuda) who has had his wings torn from him. In his search for the secrets of flight, something unthinkable is released. Every single living thing in the city is now in incredible danger from a menace that feeds on your dreams, leaving you a dried-out, soulless husk. And there seems to be nothing that can stand against it.

 

The book is fast paced and shocking at times. The characters were all well rounded and realistic - likeable, but with their flaws. But dont read it if you dont like insects. Especially moths.

Perdido Street Station is followed by The Scar, which despite being set in the same world is not a direct sequel. Some events and characters from PSS are referenced in the background, but they play virtually no effect on the plot and it is not necessary to know any more about them.

The Scar follows a ship of renegades travelling from New Crobuzon to a far away colony. They are captured by pirates and pressganged into becoming citizens of Armada, a floating city made from the hulls of ships. Here in Armada all are equal, and all are offered jobs and a new life. For many of the ship's inhabitants who were previously slaves (such as Tanner Sack), this change of situation is a miracle and a blessing. But this is not the case for everyone. Bellis Coldwine is a linguist who was only travelling to the colony out of a need to escape the city, although she is intent on returning once the danger has passed. Unable to face the thought of never being able to return to New Crobuzon, she searches for a way to escape Armada, and in doing so becomes dragged into its web of lies, intrigue and secret plans... plans to raise the greatest beast in the sea, plans to harness the power of a tear in the fabric of reality.

The Scar was an excellent book, proving once again that Mieville's imagination knows no bounds. It explores in more detail some of the world (known as Bas Lag) beyond New Crobuzon, and introduces dozens more races and cultures (vampires, grindylow, cray, the list goes on...). I did prefer Perdido Street Station, mostly because I didnt really warm to Bellis as a protagonist, but this book is still incredible and definitely deserves to be read.

The third book in the series is called Iron Council, and I look forwad to being able to read that soon.

What books have you all been reading recently?

Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return...

Becky x