Lepidoptera The Dot Moth – Mamestra Persicaria
The conspicuous white reniform spot on the very dark marbled fore wings is always sufficient for the identification of this species.
This moth is out in June and July; and during the latter month lays its eggs on the elder (Sambucus nigra), and the various low plants that supply the larva with food.
The larva is greenish or greyish, sometimes with a reddish tinge, with a light line down the back. The twelfth segment is humped, and there are dark V-shaped marks on the back of segments five to twelve inclusive. It is full grown in September, and burrows into the ground to undergo its change to the chrysalis, in which state it remains throughout the winter.