70.251 BF1930

Oak Beauty Biston strataria

(Hufnagel, 1767)

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Wingspan 40-50 mm.

A large-bodied, attractive species with alternate bands of chestnut and white, speckled with black.

Reasonably common in England and Wales, scarcer in Scotland and Ireland, it flies in March and April and frequents deciduous woodland and suburban habitats.

The caterpillars feed on a number of deciduous trees; the species is not restricted to oak (Quercus).