Little brown jobs

Yarrow Plume Moth (Gillmeria pallidactyla)

There have been precious few insects of any sort in the garden this year. And it's not just us thinking this; naturalists from all across the UK (and Europe as well) are reporting the same. Despite this, I managed to find a new moth for the property yesterday – in the bathroom, of all places. In the "real world", this Yarrow Plume Moth (Gillmeria pallidactyla) probably would have blended right in, looking like a random bit of dried vegetation. Against the blue curtain it was sitting on, it was rather more obvious! Plume moths are a bit of a challenge to identify, but the combination of a dark band on the end of the wing, a darker band on the front edge of the forewing (an area known as the "costa"), the subtly striped body and legs that aren't banded between the spurs (which you may have to zoom in on to see) is distinctive. This is a common species across virtually the whole of the UK, found in dry or sandy areas, including grassland, hedgerows, quarries, embankments and "waste places". It flies from June to August, laying its eggs on Common Yarrow and Sneezewort (and occasionally Tansy). The larvae overwinter in the plant's roots, emerging in the spring to feed on the new shoots. We have plenty of yarrow in the garden, so this little moth may even have grown up locally. Once I'd photographed it, I turned it loose out the window, in the hopes it will find a mate. And some yarrow!