Six Spotted Burnet Moths

I did promise that I would show you how six spotted burnet moths are greatly attracted to Viper's Buglass (see top right) but unfortunately we were suffering from haar today (scots word for coastal fog ) so the moths weren't so prolific when we walked the dogs this morning. However, I did pop out to the dunes this afternoon when the sun was shining to give you some idea just how numerous they can be. Unfortunately this had to be with another wild flower as the Viper's Buglass are some way further down the dunes.

The six spotted burnet breaks one of the normal moth rules in that it is diurnal rather than nocturnal. However, you can tell it is not a butterfly by the way it holds its wings when resting ie. sloping down the back rather than straight out like a butterfly. You can also see that it has a much heavier body shape than most butterflies