Rose-flounced Tabby Endotricha flammealis
Many of the Snout Moths (also called Pyralids) do have a striking snout, but not all of them. Thus the common name for this family is not very reliable. Some of the Snout moths with a small snout only, or even no snout at all, behave like real butterflies. The worms live on plants and not on dead materials and they fly by day just like butterflies, eating nectar . The Rose-flounced Tabby is one of them and it is quite common in our garden. Reaching a wingspan of some 22 mm, it is a tiny moth. The wings are quite beautiful when you examine them closely. The species is extremely variable though. Light coloured animals with almost no markings are seen, but also richly marked specimens and dark, intensly marked animals appear as well. Just take a look at the pictures. Even though our books tell us that this species is not active during daylight, in our garden it is a frequent visitor of flowers in broad daylight, as the pictures proof. Common species in the Benelux on sandy soils, but a local species in the southern half of England and Wales only.
