Small Emerald

The wings are rounded with two white cross-lines on the forewings and a single cross-line on the hindwing. They are a rich blue-green colour fading to white with age.

The adults fly at night from dusk and are attracted to light. The caterpillars can be found from July or August to the following June overwintering as larvae. They pupate in a cocoon suspended by threads from the foodplant.

Size and Family

• Family – Emeralds (Geometridae)
• Small Sized
• Wingspan Range – 34-40mm

Conservation Status

• UK BAP: Priority species (Research only)
• Local (only found in some areas)

Caterpillar Food Plants

Traveller’s-joy (Clematis vitalba)

Habitat

Hedgerows, open woodland and gardens on chalk or limestone where the foodplant grows

Distribution

• Countries – England and Wales
• Found fairly frequently in England and Wales, north to the Wash but more locally in Lincolnshire, the Midlands and the west coast of England north to southern Cumbria as well as the Channel Islands. Occasional records in southern Scotland and the north-east of Ireland.