A gathering of Burnets

This morning I had a wander through the dunes to the South of The Donald's golf course at Menie.

The six spot Burnet moths were out in droves enjoying the sunshine. The six bight red spots on each of the moth's fore-wings are a visual warning to predators that this moth is poisonous and tastes bad! The caterpillars of the moth feed on a variety of plants including trefoils and vetches which contain traces of the poison cyanide. The caterpillars concentrate the toxins in their bodies and they are passed on to to the adult moth. The warning must be effective as these moths don't tend to fly off when approached, as most moths and butterflies do. This makes them relatively easy to photograph!

I'm not sure what the pale individual at the lower right is, perhaps just an old specimen who has lost a lot of scales. I'm sure that there will be an expert out there who can put me right.

Extra. A much less welcome discovery on the Donald's property was a very large patch indeed of New Zealand PirriPirri. This is a highly invasive and damaging plant, originally from New Zealand. The plant forms a compact ball of seeds, each with its own hook ready to attach to the socks, fur or wool of passing people or animals. In terms of attachment it make velcro look like a rank amateur. The seeds later drop off thus  allowing the plant to spread. Like many non-native plants, it was first grown in gardens from which it escaped, either by seed spread or by people dumping garden waste in the countryside.