49.159 BF1085

Hedya atropunctana

(Zetterstedt, 1839)

Wingspan c. 15mm.

The smallest of a group of rather similar moths, this species occurs mainly in the north of England and Scotland, with some records from further south.

Freshly emerged adults have a noticeable pink tinge to the paler parts of the forewing, but this can fade in older specimens.

The moths fly between May and June, or slightly later further north, and sometimes have a second generation in August in the south.

Its favoured habitats are mosses and damp heaths where the foodplants, such as bog-myrtle ( Myrica gale) and willow (Salix) occur.

The larva feeds in the terminal shoots of such plants, which it spins together.