Flying shuttle

The cold is putting off the moths, but each night still brings an interesting newcomer. Here is the Shuttle-shaped Dart, a welcome resident because its caterpillar eats dandelions. Not to much effect in our garden, mind, but still I like dandelions. It's just that you have to control them, because like brambles they have a genetic impulse to take over the world. The Shuttle-shaped Dart has differing colourways for male and female; this one is a male; the female is more brown.
I've been checking back through my records to 2004, when Penny gave me the moth trap for my Birthday (May 18th, please make a note; although Blogger doesn't need reminding; each year it automatically adds on). That year, a Shuttle-shaped Dart came on only the second day of trapping, 24th May, and again for the next two nights. Its been an occasional visitor every year since; if I can find time, I shall scroll down the blog looking for it. I like the wing patterns, albeit within the mothy spectrum of greys and browns. Shuttles (below the kidney-mark in the bottom pic) are an icon of this part of the world - still. Don't let people tell you that Yorkshire textiles are defunct. The specialist sector is alive and well as you can read in True North (see my books link above left and please forgive plug).