A Year in the Valley

This was such a tiny moth, that I nearly didn’t see it.  Only it turned out not to be a moth.  Moth flies are also known as drain flies and can be problematical as the larvae live in water and feed on bacteria, which means they can lurk around drains and bathrooms.  Moth flies come in different colours – black, grey, or brown.  You will notice that they rest with their wings ‘ajar’, not closed like most butterflies or open like most moths.  Their life span is only around five weeks – up to 15 days in the larval stage, 20-40 hours to pupate and 20 days as an adult.