Nothing wrong with being common

Here's a quartet of last night's arrivals and lovely moths they are too. The White Ermine, bottom left with my wedding ring and somewhat pudgy fingers, is an instant favourite with everyone who encounters it; ditto the Cinnabar alongside, whose striking red streaks and dots go superbly with its background colour of a very slightly green and rather oily black.

The two moths at the top are the delicate Green Carpet, named in the 18th century when wonderfully-patterned carpets from the East were arriving in commercial quantities in England, and the Iron Prominent whose colours have a touch of those paint suppliers to the gentry, Messrs Farrow & Ball.

All these moths, and the year's first Flame Shoulder shown above, are common albeit seldom seen by those who are not lucky or wise enough to own a moth trap (the Cinnabar is the likeliest to have wider recognition, both because it flies by day as well as night and because its striking yellow-and-black-banded caterpillars are familiar on ragwort).  News of these hidden riches seems to be spreading, I am glad to say, and the number of moth observers and enthusiasts is increasing. Welcome all, and here are a couple more White Ermines from this morning's eggboxes to enjoy.