Six-spot Burnet Moth Zygaena filipendulae
The 6-spot Burnet day-flying moth with Carder bumble bee (and flower beetle).
The Burnet moth wings have a blue-green metallic sheen.
Burnet moths have a black, furry body, also iridescent blue-green
There are six red spots in pairs on each top wing.
The antennae are like a waxed moustache.
Wingspan: 30-38 mm
UK flight time: mid Jun-Aug
Range: much of Europe and the Near East
The six spots occasionally blend together in twos.
More of the body
On scabious
Like its 5-spot cousins, the 6-spot Burnet has red under-wings bordered in black.
The papery cocoon and black chrysalis are also similar to that of the 5-spots, also attached to grass stems near the larval foodplants.
The hole in the cocoon in the centre photo above indicates a parasitic wasp emerged; the cocoon above right with remains of pupa shows that a Burnet Moth emerged.
The hole in the cocoon in the centre photo above indicates a parasitic wasp emerged; the cocoon above right with remains of pupa shows that a Burnet Moth emerged.
Links:
Five-spot Burnet Moth
Five-spot Burnet Caterpillar
Burnet Moth Caterpillar Cocoon