A migrant moth - Convolvulus Hawk-moth

Following the migrant butterfly from the USA comes a Convolvulus Hawk-moth from the south which I caught in my moth trap last night. This is a rather worn female specimen and only the fourth I know about for Islay, past records being in c.1950, 1989 and 2015. Similar to the Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies, this moth lives in North Africa and, early every spring, migrates across the Mediterranean into France and Spain where it breeds, with the offspring moving further north and, more or less annually, reaching southern England, while in some years, perhaps helped by southerly winds, some reach Scotland, even as far north as Shetland. They are large moths with a wingspan up to 100 mm and length of about 55–60 mm. The male is more boldly marked with black streaks and bands.

Malcolm