www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Found about six of these on our herb garden - would like to know what they are.

The leaf is a sage plant and the butterfly is about 15mm wide. Tony

Hi Tony,

This is a Mint Moth (Pyrausta Aurata). They are particularly found of herb gardens with a preference to Thyme and not surprisingly, mint.
Nice find.

Regards
Kev

tonyD wrote:would like to know what they are.

They are Pyrausta aurata. These are micro-moths of the group known as Pyralids.

Most field guides don't include the micros,so they can be very confusing, especially as some micros are quite large and brightly coloured. A good photographic guide, which does include this group, is 'Photographic Guide to British Moths and Butterflies' by Chris Manley, A&C Black 2008. There is also the splendid "Field Guide to the Micro-moths of Great Britain & Ireland" by Phil Sterling and Mark Parsons, illustrated by Richard Lewington, British Wildlife Publishing 2012.

Mike

Thank you - Tony

Hello,

Does anyone know what these are? They're defoliating a Southern Beech at the arboretum I work at...

Hi - these are Buff-tip moth larvae, which can cause quite a lot of defoliation!

Cheers,

- Pete