Lepidoptera The Marbled Beauty Moth – Bryophila Perla
Our first family-the Bryophilida-contains only four British species. These are small and slender-bodied moths, whose larva feed in early morning on the lichens that cover stones and old walls, and conceal themselves by day in holes and chinks and under stones.
The Marbled Beauty is the only moth of this family that may be described as common with us. It is abundant in nearly every English county, as well as in parts of Scotland and Ireland.
Its wings are very pale grey, marked with a darker bluish grey, as shown in the engraving. These markings are variable, but the bases of the fore wings have always a dark blotch, followed by a patch of pale grey or white, extending the whole width of the wing. The moth may be found from the beginning of July to the middle of September.
The larva feeds from February to April. It is black above, with a broad orange-bordered stripe down the back; and its body is covered with small warts, each of which bears a single hair.