Light Emerald | Geometridae |
Campaea margaritaria (Linnaeus, 1767)
Description: Wingspan 42-54mm. Adults when fresh are a whitish green colour but this quickly fades to ochreous white in older individuals. There are two distinct cross-lines on the forewings which are light brown edged with white. The hindwings are similar and have a single cross-line. The tips of the forewings are finely pointed.
Key Identification Features:
Sets: |
Flight Period: Mid-June to mid-August, however occasional adults are found in early September.
Status: Common and widespread throughout southern counties, scarcer further north, with populations more widely dispersed.
Ecology: A distinctive species found commonly in woodland sites, bogs, fens and occasionally gardens. Adults appear frequently at light in small numbers. The larvae can be found in September through to May of the following year on oak Quercus spp., birch Betula spp., beech Fagus sylvatica and Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna. It overwinters as a larva.
World Distribution: Throughout Europe.
Bradley & Fletcher number: 1961 Agassiz number: 70.283
Additional information:
Caterpillar: |
Thompson, R. S. & Nelson, B., 2003 (Oct 2). [In] The Butterflies and Moths of Northern Ireland http://www.ulstermuseum.org.uk/lepidoptera/species.asp?item=6053 |
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