Hats off to a fellow poster on Upper Thames Moths' Facebook page, Dave Morris, who noticed this highly unlikely arrival at the early 19th century window pane of 'The Other Bennet Sister', a BBC drama re-working Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice':
Barring an incredible feat of aviation from the Far East, this Box Tree Moth is roughly 200 years too early. It was first recorded in Europe in 2006, in Germany, and made its debut in the UK two years later.
As Dave notes about the Collared Dove, another extra in historical films from time to time, this is worth pointing out, less for the error as an example of how carefully some of us watch TV. It may be added that the Box Tree Moth is also appropriate to an Austen drama; so many stately homes of the kind portrayed in her books have had their garden hedges ruined by the species' voracious caterpillars. Spiky-penned Jane would surely have had something to say about this, or some human parallel to be made.
Penny and I were at a particularly beautiful and not much-frequented stately home today, Nuneham Courtenay near Oxford, where I spied this Comma among many Brimstones. They follow yesterday's Small Tortoiseshell to make three butterflies so far this year. Meanwhile the moth trap continues to attract a modest but respectable list of overnight guests, with a Brindled Beauty and Small Quaker joining the previously-recorded Hebrew Character, Common Quaker, Oak Beauty and Clouded Drab on this year's garden tally.
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