Exciting Sighting
The other day, I’m sitting outdoors in the garden centre restaurant at Glenbarr in Kintyre (Argyllshire) when I see what looks like a pink butterfly flutter past and land on euphorbia. Yes, it is actually warm enough for me to sit outdoors, and for the Burnet moth to be flying. And, yes, I leap off my chair and dash down with the camera. This glorious moth is flighty and takes off before I can capture its true open-winged splendour in a photograph. I zoom in and get a shot of it with wings folded. Naturally I follow it round the garden hoping for the perfect shot. But soon it rises and flies high disappearing southwards towards Barr Abbey. Luckily, I’ve ordered a salad for lunch.
Identification
I’ve sent off my photo to Butterfly Conservation and hopefully will find out which species from the Zygaena family this one is. If anyone can tell me, please send a message. I think that it may be a Transparent Burnet, Zygaena purpuralis, sub-species caledonensis which is found near the coast in Argyllshire.
We saw one last year on the East Beach dune area. No camera or phone to hand, but they are spectacular.
Thanks, Cynthia. This one I found was so spectacular I’m keen to find more. I’ll try the East Beach (Nairn).
Wow. Looking at Townsend & Waring, it certainly appears to be Zygaena purpuralis. Never seen one of course, but we wouldn’t up here. It would be quite something if they were in Nairn.
Thanks for that, Avery. The Townsend and Waring book sounds good. Slightly changing the subject, I’m keen to know where you got your hive scales from,please, if you are happy to share that info?
Co-incidence. Your comment came in as I was in the middle of writing you that. If you check your email, you should have it.
I have only ever seen the six and five spot burnet moths, mostly at Aberlady reserve on the East Lothian coastline, on my stints long ago helping the warden to keep the nesting terns safe from the public, unaware of their nest sites and their diminishing numbers as they tramped the well worn path around the reserve. There are no little terns nesting there at all now and very few common terns and sandwich terns are to be seen, as compared with 25 years ago. The foxes had something to do with it, as well as the high tides that arrive in early June. And probably there was a change in food supply for the birds.
Interesting, Catriona. Thanks for that info.
Did you ever get confirmation of the ID of the moth?
Yes, I did Avery. Butterfly Conservation think it is the Transparent Burnet.