Lepidopterists have been in a bit of a flap at RSPB Bempton Cliffs because earlier last month, a rare moth was discovered on the award winning nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs.
Now confirmed by experts as a Tissue, it is only the 9th time this striking pink-winged moth has been recorded in East Yorkshire since it was first spotted in 1806.
At this time of year, the team set a moth trap each Friday night and the captured moths are revealed to visitors to the Seabird Centre on Saturday morning, prior to being released. Species found in the trap are recorded and the data sent to the Moth Recording Scheme by the site’s warden, David Aitken.
July is generally accepted as the best month to see moths and an amazing variety have been discovered on the reserve - such as the exotically named Mother of Pearl and the equally fabulous Burnished Brass.
However, the Tissue was in a league of its own – 19-22mm in size, its upper wings have a delicate pink tinge and there is distinctive scalloping along the bottom edge of the underwings.
This rare but local resident is known to fly between August and October and April and May so it did raise a few eyebrows. However nature can be unpredictable, and just like the recent sighting of the Black-browed Albatross on the cliffs, the unexpected can and does happen.
The Tissue certainly surprised Visitor Experience Manager, Sarah Aitken, the reserve’s moth trapper:
‘It was a perfect night for moth trapping, warm but cloudy, so we attracted a large number of moths, 28 species in all. But the Tissue stood out from the rest – apart from the fact that it shouldn’t have been there, it is really beautiful’.
Over the same weekend, other moths trapped and released included: Poplar hawkmoth, Eyed hawkmoth, Drinker moth, Spectacle, Large yellow underwing, Brimstone, Common footman, Plain golden Y, Green carpet.
In the past , interesting migrants like the Convolvulus hawkmoth along with large native moths like the Elephant hawkmoth and Privet hawkmoth have also turned up.
While their daytime counterparts the butterflies get all the glory, moths are equally impressive but just not as well known. With the Bempton Cliffs team helping to raise their profile, however, that could all change in the future.