This moth was sitting on top of our dishwasher the other morning. I've looked around in Google Images, etc., but I haven't found a photo of any papillion de nuit that looks exactly like this one.
For scale, here's a photo with my little finger in it. The moth was tiny, obviously.
Actually, this particular moth nicely matched the color scheme in our kitchen — yellow walls and a dark brownish-red floor. Walt said we should call it a "mustard and ketchup moth."
Here's a photo I took during a walk in the vineyard with Tasha day before yesterday. The sunrise was impressive and unusual. The white house in the lower middle of the image is ours, and the black spot in the sky is a montgolfière — a hot-air balloon.
Could it be some kind of Mint Moth?
ReplyDeleteIt does resemble Pyrausta sanguinalis or Pyrausta purpuralis.
DeleteIl pourrait s'agir en français d'une Pyrale de la menthe ou Pyrale dorée!
DeleteUnless some better ID comes along, I'm going to assume that the moth in this post is Pyrausta purpuralis, which I see described as not rare but common, at least in the U.K. In English it seems to be called the Common Purple-and-Gold. In French, it seems to be called La Pyrauste pourprée.
DeleteI've just checked on Lepiforum.de... and it is definitely P.purpuralis...
Deletethe other 5 don't match this one at all.... "The larva lives 5-6 and 8-4 amongst spun leaves of Labiatae (Mentha spp., Origanum spp., Thymus spp., Prunella spp.), Plantago and allegedly other plants (Crataegus spp.). Pupates in spun leaves."... and the environment is similar to your surrounds.
There are no records for your "county"... but it is all around you!
Thanks, Tim.
DeleteBeautiful sunrise photo. If you're going to be invaded by moths, it's good if they match the decor. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe these moths change color according to their environment.
DeleteIt's wild that the moth matches your kitchen colors so well!
ReplyDeleteI just read about the bat episode...geeeeze. No thanks! That would freak me out.
Bats are beautiful when they swoop around at twilight, outside. They somehow lose some of their charm when they come indoors.
DeleteYou have beautiful sunrises for your walks. The moth is so cute.
ReplyDeleteI saw the little creature referred to as a micro-moth.
DeletePretty colors on that moth. My first reaction was "Paging Susan. Susan to the courtesy phone in the lobby, please."
ReplyDeleteI was thinking Tim might save the day. He must be busy this weekend.
Deleteeven though we're so conditioned to think "moths -- eeek", it's nice to stop and appreciate its beauty.
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