Vapourer moth - Orgyia antiqua - Family: Lymantriidae

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Vapourer moth - Orgyia antiqua
© Dr Chris Gibson/English Nature

The vapourer moth is generally distributed and common in gardens and parks, even in suburban areas of London. The males fly from July to September and have dark orange wings with a large white spot on the forewings. The female is almost wingless and therefore remains on the cocoon from which she emerged. The caterpillars appear from April to May and are a greyish violet with red and yellow markings and four tufts of yellow hairs. The larvae feed on most deciduous trees.

This is a day-flying moth which can be - and is often - mistaken for a small brown butterfly.

Food

Most deciduous trees and shrubs especially oak (Quercus sp.), lime (Tilia sp.) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).

Plants

Apple, Hawthorn, Large-leaved lime, Midland hawthorn, Pedunculate oak, Small-leaved lime

Predators

Dragonflies and damselflies