Pterophoridae

45.008 Yarrow Plume Gillmeria pallidactyla (Haworth, 1811)

Common

Similar species:

Forewing: 11 to 13mm

Habitats: Wasteground, river-banks, hedgerows, dry grassland, quarries and embankments.

Habits: The moth is easily disturbed in the day. It flies from dusk and comes to light.

Foodplant: The young larva mines a stem of Yarrow, Sneezewort or sometimes Tansy. It overwinters in the root, then feeds on the shoots, after which it bores the young stems causing wilting. The exuded black frass is hidden by the leaf sheaths. It pupates attached to a stem of the foodplant.