Poplar Hawk Moth

This chunky fellow is a Poplar Hawk Moth, and the first hawk moth I've got in my moth trap, since I first started deploying it off and on last year at almost this time of year. I'm still holding out for an Elephant or Hummingbird Hawk Moth, but for the time being this started the day well.

The bug safari has started picking up in general (see the extras for some examples), with the wet start to the day seemingly bringing more out. Post-breakfast saw a spin up to Perth to visit a homewares shop that was rather superb (Quince and Cook) before back home, with the sun now making itself known, to finally build a gate out into the orchard from our garden, something I can't understand why no previous residents had done (out of a 'rescued' knackered, broken and warped deer gate from the surrounding land - the deer fences long ago dismantled, and various bits just left to decompose away).

Beer in the sun.

Work tomorrow.

Bah.