Species Details

ABH: 70.252

BF: 1931

Family: Geometridae

Subfamily: Ennominae

Taxon: Biston betularia

=Biston betularia f. carbonaria

=Biston betularia f. insularia

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Peppered Moth

Account: Common in woodland, scrub, hedgerows, parks and gardens throughout the British Isles. In the past, dark forms predominated in urban areas. Larva feeds on many different types of tree and shrub, including Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Birch and Lime, and some herbaceous plants, including Mugwort and Goldenrod, over-wintering as a pupa.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 45 — 62 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 24 Apr (1997) — 31 Aug (1962)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Polyphagous.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/biston-betularia/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 1416

Individuals: 786

Earliest Year: 1881

Latest Year: 2025

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