Honeysuckle Moth - Ypsolopha dentella

Wingspan 18 to 23 mm. The upturned wingtips are typical of several other moths in this genus, but are more marked in this species.

Around Honeysuckle, the larval foodplant.

This small but distinctive moth flies in July and August and is attracted to light.

As the English name suggests, the larval foodplant is honeysuckle (Lonicera). The young caterpillars are inconspicuous, and as they grow, they change to an attractive purple and green colour which affords surprisingly good camouflage amongst honeysuckle leaves. The pupa is inside a long, spindle-shaped cocoon typical of the genus.

A fairly common species throughout Britain. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = A (common and resident).