73.074 BF2403

Bordered Straw Heliothis peltigera

([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)

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Wingspan 34-42 mm.

A migrant species, which varies in numbers from year to year, with large numbers in some years and absent in others. In a good migration year, larvae are often recorded, especially in southern coastal districts.

It is quite variable, and it is suggested that the paler individuals derive from desert origin, these often arriving with Saharan 'dust storms'.

June to August is the main arrival period, and southern England the most frequent location.

The larvae feed on a number of herbaceous plants, including often garden marigolds (Calendula spp.).