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I always wanted to find an Old Lady in my shed – well the moth that is, especially after finding a few wing remains, of this moth laying beside a favourite stream in the New Forest, near Lyndhurst many years ago, probably the result of being eaten by bats.
Well on the 30th July 2011, I noticed a perfect specimen resting inside my shed, which is typical of this moth, as they like out buildings to rest during the day. I guessed it would be able to fly almost immediately when disturbed so I captured it in a container and transferred it to a large cage, being a lively moth it was some time getting some pictures, and when I finished I released it back into my shed, for the next few days it returned resting in my shed roof, probably feeding on the large buddleia in my garden during the night. It is quite a large moth up to 70mm wingspan, I think it is a clever moth with lovely markings, making it well camouflaged on different backgrounds, in my shed it navigated its way through some wide air gaps at back and rested on some black hanging felt making it very difficult to see. The caterpillars, which hibernate through the winter, feed on Blackthorn and other shrubs and trees.
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