The Merveille du Jour is a moth found commonly through most
of the United Kingdom as well as across much of Europe and even as far away as
Siberia. Although it has a French name meaning ‘wonder of the day’, it actually
has a completely different name in French, La Runique, which begs the question
how it came to acquire its French name here in the UK. La Runique probably originated
due to the shapes and patterns on its wings which resemble Runes which are
letters of the ancient Germanic alphabet.
This moth is most frequently found flying at night in
broadleaf woodlands and parks as well as in gardens, and can often be found
around house lights in the evenings.
It overwinters as an egg laid the previous autumn and after
hatching in the spring the young caterpillars tend to feed within an opening
leaf bud until larger. In the early autumn they pupate into their adult form
and can be found feeding on ivy flowers and ripe berries, finding crevices to
hide during the day to keep away from potential predator.
This moth has a fantastically bright and vibrant wing
pattern formed by a complex array of miniature scales each having their own single
colour, working in a similar way to the pixels on a TV screen or a camera
picture which together form the overall pattern. The black and brown
coloured scales are formed via pigments called melanins, however the blues,
green and iridescence are created by structural reflectance of light. These
scales are loosely attached to the wings and if the moth is caught in a spider’s
web or by a bat the scales will detach, giving the moth a chance to escape.
Keep your eye out for one next autumn, for your chance to
see what I think is one of the UK’s most spectacular moths.
If anybody does know how it came to have this french name I would love to know so please feel free to comment.
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