Mother Shipton is a characteristic grassland species of moth named after Old Mother Shipton, a 16th century Yorkshire witch, due to the distinctive markings on its wings. It usually flies for short distances, often alighting on flowers between flights as it travels over flower-rich hay meadows, heathland and moorland. The young caterpillars enjoy Black Medick, Clover, Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Lucerne and other grasses and it was a meadow of pale white and pink blushed clover that designer Alicia Amison chose for her two moths to alight upon, while tucked away on the reverse of the vase is a caterpillar.
