Small Mottled Willow – Moth of the Moment

Opening this morning’s moth trap, there were a fair few moths, 80 or so of some 33 species. Of which 29 of those were Heart & Dart. It had been wet night, but 15 C minimum, so not cold. Small Mottled Willow, Spodoptera exigua, also known as the Beet Armyworm, new for our garden There were very few clipped wings lying around the trap, thankfully, but one I did find was of the lovely Lilac Beauty, which had, despite its leafy appearance, been identified as edible by the Great Tit that has learnt all about moth trapping in the last few weeks. On one of the egg trays was a small noctuid I did not immediately recognise. It was quite worn, so the key wing markings were subdued, but reniform (kidney-shaped) and orbicular stigmata were still just about visible. Even with a quick phone macro, I could not confidently think what it might be. However, the ObsIdentify app told me with 100% certainty that this moth was Spodoptera exigua, the Beet Armyworm. Now, the “worm” names for some moths is…