Purple Clay

Diarsia brunnea

Quite common throughout most of Britain, mainly nocturnal.

Larva dark brown; dorsal and subdorsal lines pale, lateral lines whitish; a row of pale yellow dark-edged oblique stripes, and a yellow stripe across segment 11.

The Larvae feeds on a range of herbaceous plants and shrubs.

Forewing pinkish or purplish-plum coloured; the costal half with a fulvous and yellow tinge; cell deep olive brown; claviform marked by a dark spot at its end; orbicular oblong, of the ground colour; reniform outlined or filled with ochreous; hindwing luteous (muddy yellow) fuscous; cilia pink.

Adults are on wing from July to August.