PALE PROMINENT

ADULT: Wingspan 35-55mm.  A distinctive well camouflaged moth with a ground colour of brownish-straw tattooed with a series of black jagged lines and dots. The large upturned palps at the front and the divided tail tufts as well as the feathered antennae and scalloped trailing edges to the wings make this a fairly easy moth to identify.   CHRYSALIS: Pupates in a cocoon below ground in the winter months. LARVA: Bluish green with white lines along the back and sides. It has a black edged yellow stripe running through the spiracles. This stripe is marked reddish towards the head end of the larva. Feeds on Willows and Poplars. BEHAVIOUR: Attracted to light and sugar. HABITAT: Gardens, parkland and woodland edges. FLIGHT PERIOD: May to June and again in August. STATUS: Resident.  Common.