Viper’s Bugloss Moth
6th September 2006, WednesdayWhile on a work-party at Castle Water yesterday we came across this larva on Viper’s Bugloss. it is the caterpillar of Ethmia bipunctella, (sometimes known as the Viper’s Bugloss Moth) a rare black and white micro moth the adult of which commonly occurs in the Lime Kiln Cottage moth trap (bottom). The larvae feed on the flowers and leaves of Viper’s Bugloss in June, July and September, the pupa then overwintering in leaf-litter or dead stems until May the following year.
Ethmia bipunctella -Â caterpillar
Ethmia bipunctella -Â adult