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User / CrazyBugLady / Toadflax Brocade (Calophasia lunula)
Linda Peall / 5,750 items
Thanks to Timo, Dave and Bob for their help with confirming an ID for this moth - seen along the Embankment near Tate Britain! I had wondered if it is the Toadflax Brocade Moth (Calophasia lunula), but was hesitant because it is supposedly rare! However, Bob helpfully writes this moth "is in the process of colonising the UK and is now established in the London area."

According to the UK Moths website "As a resident species, this moth is restricted to the south-east and central southern coasts of England, where it frequents mainly shingle beaches.

It is a relatively recent colonist, arriving around 1950 and quickly gaining a foothold, but appears to be now in decline again.

It has two generations, sometimes overlapping, from May to August, and migrants sometimes appear away from the main stronghold in July and August.

The larvae, which feed on toadflax (Linaria spp.), are very colourful, but well camouflaged amongst the foodplant."
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Dates
  • Taken: May 25, 2016
  • Uploaded: May 25, 2016
  • Updated: Apr 10, 2017