Rye Harbour Moths
4th July 2010, SundayThe highlights today were mainly micro moths, so I’ll apologise for the tongue-twisting names in advance. Best of the bunch was Eulamprotes wilkella, a species whose name is considerably longer than the moth itself! This is a largely coastal species in Britain, the larvae feeding on common mouse-ear, with only a handful of records for the reserve. Also of interest were Synaphe punctalis (sometimes referred to as Long-legged Tabby, though this English name is for some reason shared with another micro) and the grass moth Pediasia aridella, a rather drab species which in common with it’s kin spends a lot of time pressed up against grass stems trying to look inconspicuous. Best of the bigger moths wasn’t a rarity, in fact it is a fairly common species, but it is a super looking thing - Burnished Brass. Looking at this image you can see where it got it’s name!
Burnished Brass