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Orange-spot Piercer Pammene aurana

Leaf-rolling Moths are small, but reaching a wingspan of 9 to 13 mm only, the Orange-spot Piercer is one of the smallest species. Identifying it however is a piece of cake. It is chocolate brown with two orange spots on each wing. In rest it looks like it has three orange spots, though. The wings of some animals are almost entirely orange. Adult moths fly in the afternoon and feed on Hogweed, which also is the foodplant of the larvae. There is one breed only with adults on the wing from June to the end of August.

The larvae appear from July onwards. They don't spin together the leaves of the foodplant, but the seeds. They eat the seeds from within the spinning. By the end of autumn they drop to the ground, dig themselves into the soil and overwinter in a silken cocoon. After winter pupation takes place. A common, though local species all over Britain and Europe.