I took this photograph several years ago in our back garden but have never been able to identify the insect that spins this delicate net-like cocoon around its pupa. Then a couple of weeks ago the new Field Guide to Micro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, by Phil Sterling and Mark Parsons (British Wildlife Publishing) appeared and that contains a picture of a very similar cocoon spun by the pupating larva of a common moth that goes by the jaw-breaking name of Schreckensteinia festaliella.
I guess there might be other micro-moths that spin a similar cocoon, but at least now I think I'm a little closer to knowing what this is. Next time I find one I'll hatch out the moth and confirm its ID, or not - as the case may be....
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