A hidden gem

I realised that some of the plants in pots out in the garden were very thirsty, so I went to fill some buckets to give them a drink. As I leaned over to see if any pots were still lying hidden behind a large comfrey plant, I saw some colour and then on looking further, noticed this butterfly (NB now thankfully identified as a Scarlet Tiger Moth by Ash - see comments below).

I finished all the watering, then went to get a cup of tea for myself and picked up my camera, changing lenses on the way and found the butterfly was still there about an hour later. Clearing some fronds away from the wisteria, I squatted down low in the grass and tried to steady myself. The butterfly was resting on some raspberry canes that had returned from the dead, after we had built our cabin virtually on top of them.

It was in the shade underneath the cabin extension, behind several other plants, so the light was poor despite it being mid-afternoon. It was very exciting to see these brilliant colours on what I expect is a very common butterfly, but it is very beautiful. I wonder whether it has been responsible for eating the leaves you can see beside it, looking somewhat 'moth-eaten', if you know what I mean.