Page 504 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Geometridae
DISTRIBUTION Europe and across Asia to Japan
HABITAT Deciduous woodlands
HOST PLANTS Deciduous trees, including birch (Betula spp.),
oak (Quercus spp.), and willow (Salix spp.)
NOTE Caterpillar whose twiglike appearance provides
perfect camou age

CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated

ADULT WINGSPAN
1⅛–1¼ in (28–32 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (30 mm)
PLAGODIS DOLABRARIA
SCORCHED WING
502
(LINNAEUS, 1767)

Scorched Wing caterpillars hatch from oval, white eggs laid
along leaf margins, and they can be seen in woodlands from
May to October. To escape predation, the caterpillar relies

on camou age, gripping a twig with its terminal claspers and
raising its body up so that it looks like a short length of twig.
Actual size
When fully developed, the caterpillar pupates on the ground
in leaf litter, and its chestnut-brown pupa overwinters. There is
usually one generation, with the adults on the wing from May to

The Scorched Wing caterpillar is twiglike and July, but in some locations there may be two generations a year.
colored in shades of reddish brown and olive
green. The upper thorax is darker than the
ventral side, and there is a distinctive hump The night-flying moth gets its unusual name from the
on the abdomen and a dark transverse mark
near the posterior end. appearance of its wings at rest, the shades of brown resembling
a piece of burned paper and providing effective camouflage
when it rests on branches during the day. The moths prefer
open woodlands with clearings and rides that allow more light
to reach the ground and a greater diversity of plant species.