Grass veneer

Inlaid Grass Veneer (Crambus pascuella)

Our year of few moths continues, no thanks to the cool, soggy weather that plagued much of our early summer. But every now and then, we do find a sprinkling of them in the garden. This Inlaid Grass Veneer (Crambus pascuella) flushed off one of the paths while I was wandering around the other day, and eventually settled where I could get a picture of it. One of several similar "micro-moth" species, it measures up to 2 cms or so (about 3/4 of an inch) long. It can be a bit of a challenge to distinguish them from their close relatives, but the broad white streak along the wing, with the little "tooth" along the dorsal side helps to identify them, as does the intricate pattern of lines towards their back end. Many are yellower overall than this individual, though some are this richer ruddy-brown. As its name suggests, this little moth is found in grassy areas, including grasslands, heathlands and – yes – gardens. It's common right across Great Britain, and elsewhere is widespread in much of Europe and Asia Minor. The larvae feed on various species of grass; surprisingly, the larvae were unknown as recently as 1998! Adults fly at night (we regularly catch them in our moth trap) but are also easily disturbed from their resting places during the day. They're typically on the wing between June and August, so we'll be interfering with their rest for several more weeks yet.