Retrospective detective

Remember these larvae that I though were probably Scarce Umber? Well - it turns out that I was 100% ....... wrong. Bugger. Just found a freshly emerged male Feathered Thorn in the soil-filled net-covered box that the pupal cocoons were left in over the summer. Actually, looking back with 20/20 hindsight they were obviously this species with those small conical protrusions on segment 11. Oh well, this is precisely why rearing larvae is entertaining - it's great to be right and good to learn from mistakes. At least this makes much more sense as both the male and female fly - did wonder how a wingless female (as in Scarce Umber) could suddenly colonise a garden bush with no mature trees in close proximity. I'll get a shot tomorrow.