The Moses moth

No doubt you remember the story of Moses in the bulrushes. Had there been an entomologist involved in the Scriptures, he or she might have added a little colour about today's moth.

It's a Bulrush Wainscot, one that I haven't had here before although it's not uncommon, especially in places with plenty of bulrushes. We have fine clumps of them on the canal.

The Bulrush Wainscot is a chunky moth, much bigger than the Common Wainscot and its immediate relatives which are quite frequent guests here. It also has a fine dusting of spots and streaks.

The most interesting thing about it, however, is the way that its caterpillars burrow into a bulrush stem, bore along like a small Tube train and then make the stalk their home, a home provided with free food in the form of the walls and a snug place for pupating when the time comes. The excellent pictures below are from the Moth Bible

I'm minded to add a verse to the Bible - the real one, not the mothy version - to incorporate one of these in the Moses story; perhaps a talking one which could advise the floating baby when there was danger from Pharoah's men.