New

I am always on the lookout for species new to me and as such, I was pleased to see this small moth sitting on our compost bin a few days ago.

At less than 1" long, it was tricky to get close enough to get a good picture, without disturbing it and making it fly away. As it was, it closed it's wings as I approached and stubbornly refused to open them again. It has taken a good deal of trawling through the 'net' to find out that it is a Meal Moth (Pyralis farinalis). The larvae of these moths are a particular problem as they (as the name implies) feed on various forms of milled 'meal' and stored grains. They are also known to eat hay and straw, dried fruits and even sugary sweets.

Eventually, after a few minutes, the moth became a little more used to me pointing my camera at it and decided to open it's wings again to display it's full glory.

Another addition to my life-list of positively identified invertebrates.  The search for 'new' species continues....