66.002 BF1632

Pale Eggar Trichiura crataegi

(Linnaeus, 1758)

---

Wingspan 25-30 mm.

One of the smaller members of the Lasiocampidae, appearing as an adult in August and September.

It is quite variable across its range, which extends through England and Wales to northern Scotland, the more northern forms tending to be darker.

Its preferred habitats are heathland and the edges of woodland, and the larvae feed on a range of plants and trees including blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), hawthorn (Crataegus) as well as bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) and heather (Calluna).