The benefits of walking slowly!

Catching this moth, Eyed Hawkmoth, in a light trap is one thing (and I've caught a few), but finding one clinging to a nettle stem is something else! I had a brief visit to the nature reserve today and had what I call 'an entomologists' amble' along one of the woodland rides - about 500 metres per hour. Anyway, I saw lots of things I would have missed on a normal walk, including this lovely big hawkmoth. As I moved some vegetation to get the photograph it started to expose a hindwing to reveal the eye-spot, apparently a successful defence tactic against birds that take too much interest.