Bog Myrtle & Peat

Walking through the rough grass above the new wood, I came across one of the most fantastic moths I have ever seen. He was lounging on a mixed tuft of purple moor grass and cross leaved heather, and when I tried to scoop him up for a photograph, he sprayed my hand with a runny, amber coloured fluid. As soon as I got home, I set about looking him up on the internet and quickly discovered that he was actually a she.

Emperor moths fly in April and May, and the extravagantly coloured male flutters across the heather by day in search of females. Despite being marked with a stunning “eye” pattern on each of her four wings, she is noticeably more sobre in colour than her partner.

I don’t know if emperor moths are rare or not, but seeing one of these enormous insects at first hand was completely thrilling.