Description: Wingspan 34-38mm. Adults have reddish brown forewings with a darker central band which is often narrowed towards the middle. The hindwings are slightly paler marked with a single dark line. From the beginning of May to mid-June.

World Distribution: Throughout Europe, Korea and Japan.

Irish Distribution: Widely distributed in small numbers throughout most counties. In Fermanagh it has been recorded recently from many well-recorded localities including Crom Estate, Tullyreagh Bridge and Gortmaconnell Rock. Recent records for Down include Rostrevor Oakwood NNR and Bohill NNR. It has also been taken at Rehaghy and Cullinane near Fivemiletown, Tyrone. In the late 1970s it was recorded from both Armagh and Londonderry (at Banagher Glen NNR), but there are no more recent records from either county. It seems to favour old semi-natural and plantation woodlands, and small isolated populations may exist in other localities.

Ecology: An attractive woodland species that is seldom seen in more than ones and twos at light. The larvae can be found from June until August on a wide variety of trees including willow Salix spp., birch Betula spp, Hazel Corylus avellana and Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna. It overwinters as a pupa.

Key Identification Features:

• Dark central band; narrower towards the middle
• Hindwings paler with a distinctive darker wavy line

Distribution Map from NBN: Plagodis pulveraria at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Plagodis pulveraria at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.