MARBLED COSMET

ADULT: Wingspan 10 to 12mm.  Another sweet little moth with dark and sombre forewings scattered with orange-rust spots on the dorsal half. An pale triangular blotch is seen on the base of the  dorsum with one or two white dots farther beyond.  There are  three black scale-tufts towards the dorsum, and three others above.  The head is ochreous-white and the hindwings are dark and dusky. LARVA: The larval foodplants are various Willowherbs with the species spending  winter in the larval stage. The larva pupates in leaf litter or sometimes in the mine. HABITAT: Found almost anywhere where the larval foodplant is available. FLIGHT PERIOD: On the wing during June to August. STATUS: A common species regularly seen and recorded throughout the UK.