Buff Ermine
Yellow Fleckleibbär ( Spilosoma lutea)
The Yellow Fleckleibbär or Yellow Tiger Moth ( Spilosoma lutea) is a butterfly (moth ) from the subfamily of the tiger moths ( Arctiinae ).
- 4.1 Literature
Features
The moths reach a wingspan from 30 to 42 millimeters. They have yellow forewings where a highly variable, obliquely arranged row of black dots is visible. Your body is striped black and yellow.
The caterpillars are whitish or light brown ( depending on age) and have a brown back line. You are strongly hairy light brown. Her head is also light brown.
Occurrence
They come in all of Europe, except in the far north, and east to Japan before. They live along forest edges and in a warm and open area and gardens. They prefer a higher humidity and are thus bound to woody plants rich areas. They fly from May to July and August to September.
Way of life
The animals are nocturnal and zweibrütig ( form a second generation in the fall ).
Larval development and life of the caterpillar
The caterpillars hatch from July. They live on their food plants and pupate in September in a gray and soft tissue on the ground. They overwinter before they hatch as a finished butterfly. In favorable years, a second generation, which flies in the autumn developed. The caterpillars feed on polyphagous of a variety of plants such as:
- Dandelion ( Taraxacum spp.)
- Nettle (Urtica spp.)
- Dead-nettle ( Lamium spp.)
- Real male fern ( Dryopteris filix- mas )
- Plantain ( Plantago spp.)
- Sorrel ( Rumex acetosa )
- Blackberry and raspberry (Rubus spp.)