A rare and exquisite moth normally found on the plains of Asia has been found by workmen on an industrial site in the Black Country.
The luna moth, one of the world’s largest, is usually found fluttering around as far afield as Nepal, Borneo and the Philippines, but was discovered by workers on a factory site in Tipton.
Plant director Steve Brown, from M&J Drilling Services, retrieved the creature from the pouring rain, in the hope of saving it.
The 55-year-old said: “We spotted this huge green thing on the floor outside the door at work. We were all quite shocked by it and no one knew what it was.
“We couldn’t just leave it there in the pouring rain, so I picked it up and put it in a cardboard box.
“We immediately checked it out on the internet and found out about it.”
The father-of-three believes the moth arrived in chrysalis form in imported goods.
Les Hill, the data manager of the moths count project at Butterfly Conservation, said: “People breed them over here and sometimes they let them go, and this is when members of the public see them.
“It’s most likely a captive-bred release. It’s very rare to see them in the wild in the UK.”
The luna moth is one of the largest species of its kind and this moth had a wing span of 5in.
