Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Taken at Aston, Oxon., on August 11th 2023. (1/250th sec at f11. © David Hastings) DescriptionFamily: Geometridae Wing span: 20 - 24mm This is the only white pug with a single conspicuous bluish-grey or black blotch on the leading edge beyond the central spot. This is thought to make it resemble a bird dropping. It is well-distributed and frequent in most of England north to Lancashire and Co Durham. Elsewhere it is mainly coastal. It can be found in many open habitats, including urban gardens, roadsides, hedgerows, coastal salt marshes and dunes. There are two protracted and overlapping generations in the south, from late April to October. Further north there is one generation from May to August.It over-winters as a pupa. The larvae feed on the flowers of many herbaceous plants, including ragworts, Common Knapweed, Field Scabious, Hemp Agrimony, Yarrow, Wild Angelica, Canadian Goldenrod and Michaelmas-daisy. It comes to light. It can often be found at rest on vertical surfaces during the day. Sightings
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||