A true Beauty

 

For the second time in a fortnight, something lovely and glowing has appeared in the dark recesses of the trap. Its orange is exaggerated by the iPhone's digital camera which searches almost too diligently for every piece of light that it can find in such gloom. But even so, the Bordered Beauty is a really lovely moth, as its name suggests, and as you can see in the more accurate colouring of the photo below.

This was taken after it had agreed to perch on a piece of eggbox and be raised from the jumble of other ones in the trap. It posed briefly but then flew off, fortunately only as far as the section of wall with the ghostly writing where I took the pic. Here it is again in the 'precautionary' photo which I took from further away in case the moth's keen perception of movement scared it into taking off again as i crept nearer.

The last picture shows how the subtle mixture of oranges, brown and purples resemble a fading leaf. By chance, our youngest grandson asked on a walk yesterday 'What happens if you mix brown and brown?' and we were able to show him the amazing variety of 'browns' in a pile of early-fallen leaves.

Talking of camouflage, here are two other examples among visitors in the last few days: the famous Peppered Moth and a Poplar Hawk blending in with its surroundings:

But now for a different form of moth defence: the 'startle factor'. The simple and rather pure beauty below has a surprise factor which is hidden, except in its name: the Yellow-tail.

Boo! Here it is, first with the help of flash and then an unaided photo which both show the concealed 'startler'

Other arrivals include the Small Dotted Buff, a plain-looking moth but distinguished as an only very occasional visitor, the micros Anania verbascalis and the European Corn-borer or Ostrinia nubilalis,  a Nut-tree Tussock and the year's first August - or possibly September - Thorn. The two moths are very alike but I think that the whiteish lower legs of this one make August more likely.