Uncommon Common Quaker

I haven't got round to running a moth trap in the garden this year, or anywhere else for that matter, but moths haven't slipped my attention altogether. My mothing instincts instantly kicked in when I came across this unusual individual on a galvanised bin at a manufacturing site on Friday (29/03/2019). It is fair to say it was hard to miss as it was doing a very poor job of looking camouflaged and its unusual appearance only added to its stand out appearance.

My excitement drew some bemused attention from people working nearby but I managed to explain my interest in the moth while taking a few photographs with my phone. If you are not into moths you will wonder what my excitement was about especially as Common Quaker is a widespread and relatively common spring species. Whilst the species displays some slight variation in ground colour individuals are normally evenly coloured which is what makes this example so exceptional.

The photo is a bit over exposed but there is no doubting the symmetrical and strongly demarcated dark brown distal portion of the wings.

The big question that an individual like this draws, especially given the finding location, is whether it is a natural aberration or has it been caused by contact with some chemical. The simple answer is I don't know but the one thing I find striking is the symmetry. The effect appears to be far too symmetrical and well demarcated for some random contact with a chemical to be the cause but then I am no expert. At the end of the day this is an uncommon Common Quaker compared to the thousands I have seen over the years.