Not the biggest, nor the brightest but I have a new favourite moth. I nearly overlooked the Chocolate Tip as a bit of last year’s dried-up leaf, it really had me fooled for a while. Then, on closer inspection…
… a thick, furry body with wings held in tightly,
and a distinctive furry tuft … I relalised it was a Chocolate Tip. This one is a female. It was worth getting up in the middle of the night when I remembered that I had set the moth trap but hadn’t swtiched on the light. The trap is basically a box with egg boxes inside and a light. Many species of moth are attracted to the light, fall into the box and rest in the egg boxes. These are carefully taken out in the morning for inspection and then replaced. The box is put in a shady corner with a cover so the moths can rest up for the day. In the evening, the cover is removed and the moths can fly off.
I was delighted to find a second Chocolate Tip in the trap. This one is a male. Their furry legs are something else. As Andy Marquis says, they’re like teddy bears. The photos don’t give an idea of their size which is 14 – 18mm.
With wings a little more spread, it’s clear to see that they are related to the Buff Tip, although the dark tail tuft is unique.
They feed on willow, and the field guide reports that they are common in the Channel Islands, but these are the first ones I’ve seen in my garden.
Natural history of the Bailiwick of Guernsey 