Rosy marsh moth

Rob took me to Roudsea Wood to look for barn owls! Unfortunately they didn’t show up, so instead we surveyed in the dusk for caterpillars of the Rosy Marsh moth.
This moth was declared extinct from England some 100 years ago, and it was not until Rob was moth surveying one August that it was found again at Roudsea. The mosses there have survived fairly intact and it seems the moth was there all the time.
The caterpillars overwinter, eating bog rosemary and then in the spring move on to the fresh leaves of the bog Myrtle. During the day they hide, and crawl up the stems at dusk to have their supper. The adults emerge in August for a short flight period, so are easy to overlook.
I was rather pleased to spot three caterpillars!