I thought after yesterday’s post you might like to see the moth that little Henderson Cuthbert the caterpillar will, hopefully, develop into. As you can see, the 5-spot Burnet moth (Zygaena trifolii) is a real beauty.

Its preferred habitats are marshlands and boggy heaths, so I’m not entirely sure how they came to live in Cathays Cemetery, though the shade provided by the many tall, mature trees does tend to keep the uncut grass of the conservation areas quite damp so perhaps that serves them just as well. There is also plenty of Common bird’s foot trefoil (the yellow flower shown in one of my photos), which is their favourite food plant.

The 5-spots are certainly plentiful at the moment – when I wander around the cemetery paths, it’s not unusual to see half a dozen at a time. I hope my little friend H. C. will soon join his relations, buzzing about the graves like little pink-winged bumblebees.