Pine carpet

With the prospect of not quite such a cold night last night we set two actinics in the garden. Result was 18 moths of 12 species. Rosy rustic, Flounced rustic, Lesser yellow underwing, and Light brown apple moth were the only species which were not singles. Most interesting was this Pine carpet, which was a long way from any of the documented food plants. Back in May this year we had a Pine carpet at Ynys-hir, and one was recorded at Ynyslas. Have they found a new food plant or do they fly considerable distances from their normal habitat?

Pine carpet

Tony & Ina