The Reed Dagger

While carrying out some management of the Reeds on saline lagoons at Rye Harbour recently we came across this attractive caterpillar, about 50mm long. It's a rare Sussex wetland moth, the Reed Dagger, which is a resident in the extreme east of the county.

There is more information about this moth and a photo of the adult on the Sussex Moth Group webpage. This website is a great resource for finding out the status, distribution and timing of moths in Sussex.