Scintillating six-spot

Every year Pete and I monitor a couple of very large brownfield sites in Cambridgeshire - and today was the first of six visits. The weather was far from ideal, with a strong, blustery wind and occasional light showers of rain. Nevertheless, during the few sunny spells the six-spot burnet moths were out in force. There is a huge population, feeding on abundant bird's-foot trefoil and nectaring on the thistles around some of the scruffier margins. They really are the most beautiful insects, particularly when freshly emerged from their distinctive yellowish coccoons, when the wings positively scintillate and sparkle in the summer sun.