Copper mine

A fine new moth for the year arrived last night - this Copper Underwing (or it may be a Svensson's Copper Underwing, a species so similar that people like me have no hope of telling them apart). It is a striking moth; as soon as I saw it in the eggboxes this morning I thought: 'Aha! Not seen one of those since late last summer'.

Getting it to show its copper-coloured underwing is something else again. The best I could do was lure it on to the edge of an eggbox and sneak up from behind. These moths are tremendously jittery and scurry about the eggboxes like frightened mice. They are strangely reluctant, however, to use their ultimate defence of takiong off and flying away.

Earlier in the day, I stalked and finally photographed this Holly Blue butterfly, a species which only opens its wings to reveal their darker blue colouring very rarely. Then it was back to moths with this Pale Prominent, weirdest of creatures, a Setaceous Hebrew Character and something whose identity I need to puzzle out.

Down the size scale, here are two slightly differing examples of one of my favourite micros, Pyrausta aurata, the Mint Moth, the second one fearlessly defending itself from s wasp.

And to finish up with, a smart Flame Shoulder and a lovely, glintingly metallic, Burnished Brass.