the sheer size of the hawk moths always grabs the attention when you open the trap, but the little ones are often real gems, especially when they open their wings
At the other end of the size scale this little beauty comes in at about 4mm long. Probably couldn't afford enough gold leaf to be any bigger. Casually known as the Triple Barred Argent with a Latin name 10x longer than the actual moth.
You can tell how small this one is by the number of records. It's only been recorded in the UK since the early '80s (hence the fashion sense I guess) but I've just recorded it on iNaturalist and it's the only record in Wales and even the NBN atlas only shows three records for the country. I would bet they're fairly common though.
You can tell how small this one is by the number of records.
It’s a beauty alright, but I hold my hands up that ones that size I rarely mange to get a decent enough photo on the phone to identify so I often ignore them. Shame on me, will make more effort!
@wild edges 12 records this year of it near me on the Norfolkmoths website so at least not everyone is as lax as me and it’s hopefully not as scarce as it may seem
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