Early Tooth-striped
It is always exciting to find a new moth I’ve never seen before whenever I open the moth trap in the morning. And this time was no exception. However, I was only able to take a record shot as it was clinging to the egg carton. It wasn’t interested in being manoeuvred onto my lichen covered twig for a more aesthetic shot and it escaped. So for now I’ll have to content myself with just the one photo. The Early Tooth-Striped, Trichopteryx carpinata, is a small moth with a wingspan of only 30-34mm (1,2). The base colour is grey, but can be variable taking on a browny grey colouration (1). The broad and rounded forewing have a series of cross bands which can be faint (1,2) but there is a sub-species f.fasciata in which the cross bands are bolder and darker (1,2). It’s not difficult to see where the English name came from. Distribution Map from NBN There is only one generation, with the adults on the wing April and May (1,2). The larvae can be found on the food plants...