Drinker Moth
by
Shop
Euthrix potatoria
Common & widespread in Southern Britain.
Mainly nocturnal.
Larvae feed on grasses & reeds.
Also have a liking for drops of dew, hence the name.
The yellowish Females are slightly larger than the orange-brown Male but both sexes usually show the two distinctive white spots on the forewing.
Females have slightly serrated antennae, while Male have deeply combed antennae.
Fully grown Larva is about 6 cm (2.4 in) long, hairy, striped and spotted, with distinctive tufts fore and aft.
Larvae hibernate while young and resume feeding in the spring, pupating in a cocoon during the summer.
Flight period is during July & August.