Lepidoptera The Buff Ermine Moth – Spilosoma Lubricipeda
The Cheloniida also include three moths that are popularly known as the Ermines, two of which-the Buff and the White-are exceedingly common, and are among the constant visitors to our gardens during June and July.
The Buff Ermine has all four wings of a buff or ochreous tint, and spotted with black as here represented.
The caterpillar is whitish, with a white line down the middle of the back, and its body is covered with long light brown hairs. It feeds on the dock (Rumex) and many other low-growing plants during August and September, and spends the winter in the chrysalis state, lying within a loose cocoon on the surface of the ground.