Last night (as in the changed time and date of this post), we were having a post-curry coffee in the garden, (we meant to go Badger-Watching, but the wind was coming from the wrong direction), and I spotted one of these beautiful moths fluttering around the garden, in the dusk light.
This moth is unmistakeable, being a bright brimstone-yellow colour, rather like its Brimstone Butterfly namesake (see earlier post on the Brimstone Butterfly).
When I first became really interested in moths a few years ago, this moth was one of the first I noticed and looked up in my book. A very 'delicate' moth, with a thin fluttery wings and a delicate floaty flight, is how I'd describe it.
The Brimstone Moth caterpillar has a wonderful camouflage strategy - it looks EXACTLY like a small budding branch. The adults are around at night from April to October (2 main broods or hatches), with the second hatch being noticeably smaller in physical size, than the spring hatch.
These moths are not rare, love gardens and hedgerows and are attracted to lights from windows at night.
NB. 21st August 2007, I've deleted the original photo of a Brimstone Moth which WAS on this post, and uploaded one of my own, taken this morning. Another Brimstone Moth "blew" into the garden this morning, carried on the blustery winds and rain. Aaaah, what wonderful weather we are having (STILL!!!) this summer...
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