Dancing Burnets

The six-spot burnet moths Zygaena filipendulae are out in number foraging on the wild flowers on the Foveran Links.

Six-spot burnets are day flying moths; the six red spots on each of the moths greenish-black fore-wings are a warning to predators that the moth is distasteful, and perhaps poisonous. Given that there are 6 spots on half a moth, I'm far from clear as to why a whole moth isn't known as a twelve-spot burnet. But who am I to question the lepidopterists? The origin of the name burnet is also obscure. It is an old English word that has been in use since at least the 12th century, but it means dark brown and a 6-spot burnet isn't!