Leaning over the garden fence the other morning, I caught sight of a tiny moth flitting about in the guerrilla garden. It stayed while I went indoors to fetch the camera, and obliged me with a few shots. Then I went back inside and googled ‘very small diurnal moth UK’ and ‘images’ and up it popped. A Mint Moth, says the font of some wisdom that is my PC – Pyrausta aurata. The butterfly conservation link also told me that it flew actively in sunshine (which is was doing) and particularly liked spearmint (which is where I found it and where you see it here). I confess a frisson of success: ID done and dusted.
It’s a dainty little thing – 70mm across/ three quarters of an inch. Here are a couple of closer views:
Tish Farrell 
It’s almost as if your PC knew what you were looking at and had the answer at the ready. 🙂 🙂
You know, I think you’re right 😉
😀
You are quite the terrier when on an information quest,, Tish!!😉
🙂
A beauty. Pete will be grinning when he sees it.
Perhaps you should start recording all the species of fauna you come across?
You’ll be surprised how they suddenly start to pop up and (relatively) quickly you learn the names.
It helps awareness and is great fun too.
The way my memory works these days, it would indeed be a good idea to log them.
I started simply to know what birds we had.
Before long I had files for butterflies, bees, spiders and every sort of bug in the garden.
That’s a good ecological record too.
Indeed it is.
I do love a bit of mint! Don’t have any of the spearmint variety to tempt this little sweetheart though. 😦
I think it will branch out to similar things in the herby line 🙂
A pretty little moth — mint moth!
Such a nice name too, Mint Moth 🙂
Well done for such a god shot and for i-d-ing it!
It all came together – a bit like a plan in the A Team 🙂
I want one! I have mint, so where are they? Actually I have seen what looked like moths in the garden today, but none stayed to allow me to take a photo. This photographing insects and bugs and whathaveyou is very addictive! Oh, and nicely captured 🙂
Thank you, Jude. We seem to have the snapping bug bug. Ark and Pete have clearly been stirring us up. Which reminds me, I’ve got an ace pic of a tiny crab spider which I must post. As to the Mint Moth, the link did say they were present across the country, but also sporadic. Now seems to be a good time to spot them though, and the spearmint was definitely the key lure.
Nice sharp image and the spearmint flower looks a little like lavender, but no doubt a totally different perfume
Different scent, but of a similar sort – if that makes sense – aromatically pungent but in a good way 🙂
🤗
I euphemistically call these micro moths ‘turkish carpets’ – they love the oregano too, knowing it is also one of the mint family!
Little flying carpets then. That’s perfect, Laura.
Well sleuthed! 😀
So beautifully captured!
Thank you, Anna.