Orange swift


The orange swift or orange moth is a moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761. It was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is distributed throughout Europe.
Volume 5
This species has a wingspan of 32–48 mm. The male has rich orange forewings with two white bars forming a "V" shape. The hindwings are dark brown. The female is similar but generally larger and less brightly coloured. It flies at night from June to September and is attracted to light.
The larva feeds on the roots of various plants including bracken, dandelion, dock, hop and viper's bugloss. This species overwinters twice as a larva.
  1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''