Butterfly or Moth?
This pretty little creature was sucking nectar from the Viburnum flowers with a long tongue. The antennae appear smooth, but there is no obvious knob on the end. Moths tend to have a more pronounced pattern on the top pair of wings than on the lower pair. I can’t tell if it is a butterfly or a moth. New Zealand has very few butterflies, but only the colourful ones are shown in books or on the web, and I have not found a moth that resembles this one either. It has a body length of 8mm.
Edit: Walking Marj has suggested that it is a carpet moth. We have a family of native carpet moths called Asaphodes. I don't know which one this is, but several are similar. Thanks, Marj.
In addition, Riwaka7 has suggested it is a Scopula rubraria, which is very likely. The wing pattern is similar. Thanks to you too, Riwaka7.
Today is the hottest of three days of hot, dry nor’westers. The good that was done by last weekend’s rain is fast disappearing.
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