Top moth

I was all set to write an elegiac, end-of-the-season post this morning. Indeed, I was rehearsing my opening as I looked through the scantily-inhabited eggboxes: 'Things are beginning to wind down, darker days are drawing in...' etc.

But then I saw the magnificent Merveille du Jour shown in the two pictures above, nestling in a battered eggbox cone. Oh happiness! This is one of my favourite moths and it adds to its lustre by coming at the otherwise sometimes dispiriting fag-end of the year.

Marvel of the Day?  It is strictly speaking a Marvel of the Night. But who is quibbling?  Though talking of marvels of the night, Penny and I went to a brilliant light show at Blenheim Palace last night, laid on by the American artist Jenny Holzer. It was free but - like the Oxford Heritage Light Night which I featured last week - very under-advertised. Blenheim is usually awash with people and queueing cars but last night there were fewer than 100 spectators when we were there.  If you are anywhere nearby, the night-time show has a couple more evenings to run.

Back in the moth trap, I also found the Square-spot Rustic above,  interesting in that its caterpillar is as nocturnal as the adult moth, feeding by night. And - final picture - the micro Endotricha flammealis which is only locally common but was here in July as well at the end of September last year.