The force is with moth like a Star Wars stormtooper
This isn't the moth you're looking for – the markings on this creature discovered at a Shropshire business bears more than a passing resemblance to a Storm Trooper from the hit Star Wars films.
The Death's Head Hawkmoth, the largest species of moth in Britain, turned up at Ricoh in Telford.
The moths get their name from the skull-like markings on their thorax. But this one looks more like one of the Empire's troops from George Lucas's space epic.
The moth was spotted on a pallet in the factory's warehouse before being taken to Andy Whyle, the company's environment officer.
He said: "It was a bit of a shocker, because it is unusually large it caused quite a stir.
"An employee found it in our warehouse where it had come in from the fields."
It has now been taken to the Shropshire Invertebrate's Group, where it will be used for breeding.
The Death's Head Hawkmoth has a wingspan of up to 13cm but is not native to the UK. They visit from southern Europe during late summer and autumn. Because of its strange, skull-like markings, the moth was thought of as an omen of death.
It is probably most famous as a stylised version appeared on the iconic posters for the horror film, the Silence of the Lambs.
The moth has an unusual habit of entering beehives in search of honey and, if handled, emits a loud squeaking noise.
Mike Winter, from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We've seen it, recorded it and sent it on its way."
