Christmas is a good time for reflections on the natural world with talk of birth, renewal and wonder in the air. Also in the air, to my surprise as Penny and I drove back in drizzle from the usual, delightfully anarchic Crib Service, were moths. No fewer than three caught in the car headlights.
So, for the first time in a month, I lit the lamp, even though I have only one eggbox at the moment, the others having been ruined by November's rain. Instead, I substituted an old sheet and on it, this morning, was a solitary Mottled Umber, my last moth of 2018.
The pics are below, but since the little moth's coloration has none of the colour of Christmas, I thought that I would give precedence to this lovely Small Tortoiseshell which was fluttering about in the kitchen, enjoying our central heating, a few days ago. I hope that your holiday is as lovely and enjoyable. Merry Christmas and all warmest wishes for the New Year!
Oh and here's the Mottled Umber in the grey of dawn; not colourful but a dainty little caller.
