Least Minor Moth
Photedes captiuncula
About
A small sized moth with a wingspan of 15-18mm. Its habitat is rough fields, dales and hillsides.
The caterpillars hatch in August and can be found until the following May, feeding on the inside of the stems of glaucous sedge and possibly other sedges. They pupate in flimsy cocoons on the ground.
It is mostly diurnal, flying in sunshine, and is on the wing between June and August, inhabiting limestone areas.
Conservation status
Rare. Restricted to suitable habitat in the south of Cumbria, the western edge of north Yorkshire, the coast of Northumberland and County Durham.
Least Minor Moth
Length: 46 seconds
Poem: Sarah Butler
Read by: Sarah Butler
Inspiration for the poem
I felt an immediate connection to this unassuming, reddish-brown moth with its bands of white, because, while extremely rare, it is found in Grassington, the village my grandparents moved to when I was six, and where I spent many happy weekends and holidays. I tried to bring a sense of the limestone landscape I have walked through over the years into my piece. My research revealed that this is a moth that flies during the day, not at night; a moth whose larvae feeds on glaucous sedge. I was, however, most struck by its name: the two diminutives of least and minor. It made me think about the ease with which we ignore the small creatures of this world, and the dangers this poses as we move deeper into climate crisis. I wanted my piece to assert this small moth’s importance in the tangled network we live in and desperately need to preserve.
I love how Mark has mimicked the colours and texture of the moth’s wings and how the three distinctive bands of white have become holders for lines of text. The lines also create a sense of landscape for me, linking this tiny creature to the environment it inhabits.
Sarah Butler, 2026
Sculpture
'Least Minor Moth'
30x50x5cm
Wood and acrylic/rusty paint
This piece was created in wood, with the patterns on the moth’s wing ground out. Quite an industrial process for a species which is so delicate, but using wood seemed appropriate as one of its best known sites is Grass Wood near me in Grassington. Rust was used outside these recesses and within them I included some of the poem written by Sarah Butler.