When I waltzed down into my garden at 6am to inspect the contents of my weekly trap I could see that there was a very big jobbie sat on the top having a mighty doze.
I had no idea what it was, but as it wasn't showing any signs of going anywhere I left it until last to deal with. After a gentle tickle with a small paintbrush to wake it up enough so that I could safely release it into a nearby bush it opened its wings, but still didn't shift. Only then could I see that it was even more beautiful than with its wings closed.
This is the UK's largest moth and is a male [it has 6 pink bands on its body] Privet Hawk moth. We have no privet in our tiny garden so I feel blessed to have seen one. They are common apparently. It amazes me that something of this size is hurtling around and most of us are blissfully unaware. With seeing so many new species this year I am hoping that our efforts of the past couple of years to rewild our garden and put in lots of good pollinator plants is beginning to pay off.
Back to Norfolk musings next time.
Arilx
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