Tags
5-spot Burnet, 6-spot Burnet, British moths, Burnet moth, Five-spot burnet, Six-spot burnet, Zygaena species
My new favourite field has a healthy population of Burnet moths, some of which are 6-spot Burnets (Zygaena filipendulae) and the others could either be 5-spot Burnets (Zygaena trifolii) or Narrow-bordered 5-spot Burnets (Zygaena lonicerae) – it’s almost impossible to tell these latter two species apart. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to see almost every part of their life cycle – only the eggs have eluded me.
A 5-spot above, a 6-spot below
6-spot Burnets mating
Today I spotted this larva, looking very close to pupating, and, nearby, a very fresh-looking cocoon.
A freshly emerged 6-spot Burnet moth
A pristine 5-spot Burnet moth
Death is always sad to see but, in this case, the moth will support the life cycle of other creatures.
earthstar 
They are so beautiful aren’t they? I havent seen any this year – I wonder why?
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I haven’t seen any in one of my usual places, and some of the smaller butterflies have been few and far between as well. I wonder if our very wet weather earlier in the year caused them problems.
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I think that is highly likely, unfortunately.
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