Falcaria lacertinaria

Birch Sichelflügler ( Falcaria lacertinaria ), 1st generation

The Birch Sichelflügler ( Falcaria lacertinaria ) is a butterfly of the family of Sichelflügler ( Drepanidae ).

• 5.1 Notes and references
• 5.2 Literature

Features

The moths reach a wingspan from 27 to 35 millimeters. The front wings of the two occurring in the same year generations differ in color. The first has dark forewings with white cloudy and restless drawing, which are the second yellow brown evenly. In the middle of the wing can be found in two generations of two parallel brown transverse lines. The outer edge of the fore wings is fringed uneven. The hind wings are bright, colored only on the outside edge with a dark brown line.

Occurrence

They arrive almost anywhere in Europe, to the north to Lapland before. You live where birches (Betula ) grow, such as in bogs and heaths with birch stocks and prefer sunny areas with high humidity. But they are also found in damp places with alder stands.

Way of life

They fly from April to the end of August in two overlapping generations.

Flight times and caterpillars

The moths fly in two generations from late April to early June and from July to late August. The caterpillars from the eggs of the first generation can be found in September, the second in June of the following year.

Food of the caterpillars

The caterpillars feed on leaves of birch (Betula ), such as Downy birch (Betula pubescens) and silver birch (Betula pendula ), but also of black alder ( Alnus glutinosa).

Development

The caterpillars pupate in a cocoon themselves sheet. They overwinter on the ground before they hatch as moths.

Swell