Species Details

ABH: 66.001

BF: 1631

Family: Lasiocampidae

Subfamily: Poecilocampinae

Taxon: Poecilocampa populi

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: December Moth

Account: Common in woodland, scrub, hedgerows and gardens throughout much of the British Isles Unmistakable: no similar species fly so late in the year. Larva feeds on many deciduous tree species, including birch, oak, hawthorn and blackthorn.

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: male 36 — 38 mm; female 42 — 48 mm

Surrey Flight Period: —

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/poecilocampa-populi/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 560

Individuals: 975

Earliest Year: 1885

Latest Year: 2025

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