UKMoths Please note that the NBN Gateway map service has been terminated as of 1 April 2017.
As soon as a replacement map service is available, distribution maps will hopefully appear here again.
In the meantime, you can get some idea of distribution from the NBN Atlas website.
65.007 BF1651
Chinese Character Cilix glaucata
(Scopoli, 1763)
Wingspan 18-22 mm.
This unusual-looking moth combines its wing-pattern and resting posture to give the appearance of a bird-dropping, thus avoiding the attention of hungry birds. It has two generations in the year, May and June, then again in August, when the adults can be attracted by light.
It occurs fairly commonly in England, Wales, Ireland and southern Scotland, and can be found in hedgerows, gardens and woodland.
The larvae feed mainly on blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and hawthorn (Crataegus), but occasionally other Prunus species.
More images
