Rare Moth

Last week (12th June) Trevor Buttle found a real rarity in his moth trap.  The Splendid Brocade (Lacanobia splendens) was first seen as an immigrant in the British Isles in 2003 and records have been sporadic since then.  It is superficially similar to many other noctuid moths but Trevor realized that he had something special and his Splendid Brocade was verified by the County moth recorder Colin Pratt. This moth is so rare that it is not pictured in my moth book.  I'll be looking at noctuids in my moth trap very carefully from now on.

The flight season is June to July and the larval food plants include Bittersweet or Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) and Convolvulus (Plenty of breeding space in my garden then!)

Splendid Brocade - Lacanobia splendens