Common Purple & Gold (Pyrausta purpuralis) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Taken at Hackpen Hill, Oxon., on June 11th 2025. (© David Hastings) (1/640th sec at f/11) DescriptionFamily: Crambidae (ABH : 63.007) Wing span: 14 - 22mm This moth has a bright purple or reddish-violet fore-wing, with an oblique irregular orange-yellow cross-band, sometimes broken into three spots. It is similar to the Mint Moth, but is larger. It is common throughout the British Isles, although more local in northern Britain. Habitats are calcareous, coastal and other grasslands, occasionally gardens. It flies from late March to September, in one or two broods depending on elevation. Selfheal is the only known larval food-plant. It flies in sunshine and comes to light. Earliest UK sighting: 9th May ; Latest UK sighting: 3rd September Sightings
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