SCIENTIFIC NAME: POECILOCAMPA POPULI
VERNACULAR NAME: DECEMBER MOTH

Fig 1
ADULT Wingspan 35-48mm. A dark brown moth with a creamy-orange, slightly wavy post-median line. The thorax is hairy and subtly darker than the wings. The body is also hairy and the males antennae are feathered. The female (Fig 1) is much larger than the male.
CHRYSALIS Pupa located beneath bark or amongst leaf litter.
LARVA Feeds on a variety of deciduous trees including Oak and Birch.
BEHAVIOUR Attracted to light. Overwinters as an egg.
HABITAT Woodland clearings, gardens and parkland.
FLIGHT PERIOD October to early January.
STATUS Common throughout lowland Britain.

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