Species Details

ABH: 68.001

BF: 1643

Family: Saturniidae

Subfamily: Saturniinae

Taxon: Saturnia pavonia

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Emperor Moth

Account: Common on heathland, marshes, bogs, moorland, woodland rides and sand-dunes throughout much of the British Isles Unmistakable. Larva feeds on Heather, Meadowsweet, Alder Buckthorn, Bramble, Hawthorn and Blackthorn, 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: male 58 — 64 mm; female 68 — 88 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 20 Mar (2024) — 2 Jun (2008)

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

Foodplant: Calluna sp., Erica sp., Filipendula ulmaria (Meadowsweet), Rubus sp., Salix sp. (a sallow).

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/saturnia-pavonia/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 186

Individuals: 256

Earliest Year: 1859

Latest Year: 2025

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