©Amy Lewis
Angle shades
The angle shades can be well-hidden among the leaf litter - its pinky-brown markings and scalloped wings giving it the perfect camouflage. It is on the wing in gardens, woods and hedgerows from May.
Scientific name
Phlogophora meticulosaWhen to see
May to OctoberSpecies information
Statistics
Wingspan: 4.2-5.0cmCommon.
About
The angle shades is a medium-sized moth, generally seen on the wing from May to October as the result of two broods. The caterpillars are stout and green or brownish, with faint stripes on every segment. Larvae that hatch in autumn, overwinter as caterpillars, and pupate in the soil the following spring to produce the first generation of adults that year. The caterpillars feed on a wide range of plants including dock and stinging nettles. This moth is quite common in parks and gardens, as well as in scrub, and along woodland edges and hedgerows.How to identify
The angle shades is a buff-brown moth, with distinctive, pink-and-brown v-shaped patterns on the forewings.Distribution
Widespread.Did you know?
With its intricate patterning of pinky-brown, cream and greyish-green, the angle shades moth is perfectly camouflaged as a curled-up, dead leaf. Often found among the leaf litter, it folds its wings back to emphasise its camouflage.An illustration of an angle shades moth
Corinne Welch