49.239 BF1148

Epinotia mercuriana

(Frölich, 1828)

Wingspan c.13 mm.

This rather attractive species is found locally in moorland and mountainous habitats throughout much of the British Isles, and can be common on higher ground.

The adults fly from July to September, often during the afternoon and in the early evenings.

The larvae feed on a range of low-growing moorland plants, including heather (Calluna) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), spinning together leaves or shoots and feeding within.