Light emerald moth - Campaea margaritata - Family: Geometridae

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Light emerald moth - Campaea margaritata
© Rob Wolton/English Nature

The light emerald is a woodland moth which is widespread and fairly common throughout mainland Britain. The wings have dark highlighted cross lines, and start life as pale green but fade to yellowish white. They fly in July and August, and occasionally, in southern England, there is a second brood which flies in September.

The caterpillars are seen from August to the following May, except during cold spells. A pale brownish grey, they look like twigs. They feed on oak, birch, beech, hawthorn, elm and other deciduous trees. During the winter they nibble the bark of the younger twigs and eat the buds.

Food

Leaves of oak (Quercus sp.), birch (Betula sp.), beech (Fagus sylvatica), elm (Ulmus sp.) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna.

Plants

Downy birch, Hawthorn, Midland hawthorn, Pedunculate oak, Sessile oak, Silver birch, Wych elm