Wednesday 27 August 2008

Why bother with moths?

It was a very drab catch last night, so let's truant. The buddleia has been swarming these last few bright days with some of the loveliest of Britain's butterflies. Here's a Comma enjoying the overwhelming scent of honey with a Peacock. Down below, perhaps the finest of them all, a Red Admiral. The word has changed, slightly, from the original Red Admirable.
There's a White Admiral, too, a wonderfully delicate looking butterfly which I've only seen overseas. But these other ones are common and a daily delight in August - when the sun shines. So why bother with moths? I guess that it's because there are so many more of them than butterflies and they are mysterious and confusing and challenging. We have fewer than 60 kinds of butterfly and it doesn't take long to get to know them. Moths take a lifetime, and (if there is a Beyond) beyond.

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