After the wet (part 2)

Having recently raised a Bright-line Brown-eye moth Lacanobia oleracea from a pupa rescued from our storm-damaged fence panels, this morning I awoke to find another new arrival in the hatchery, a Brimstone moth Opisthograptis luteolata - not to be confused with the Brimstone butterfly Gonepteryx rhamni.

Brimstone moth Opisthograptis luteolata.

This species feeds on a range of shrubs and small trees - although none of its more common host plants grow in our garden, there are plenty nearby and the overlapping fence-panels must have provided effective overwintering shelter until it blew down. Adults are usually found from April to October so this one was only a few days early.

Portrait of the Brimstone moth Opisthograptis luteolata.

Empty cocoon and pupal case of Opisthograptis luteolata.The pupa was inside the cocoon which is usually a rounded elliptical/oval shape - here it is squared off and has flat sides due to being formed between flat fence panels.