Noctuidae

73.249 Hebrew Character Orthosia gothica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common

Similar species: The black "hebrew character" in the centre of the wing gives it its name and separates it from all other spring flying moth.

Forewing: 15 to 17mm

Habitats: Deciduous woodland, parkland, scrub, hedgerows, grasslands, downland, heathland, marshland, moorland, wasteground, coastal cliffs, sand-dunes and gardens

Habits: The moth visits sallow blossom and comes to sugar. It visits light, often late at night and even when too cold for most other species.

Foodplant: The larva feeds mainly at night, at first on the buds and later on the leaves of oaks, limes, sallows, Hawthorns, birches, Blackthorn, Bilberry, Meadowsweet, clovers, Common Nettle and other other deciduous trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. It pupates in a cocoon under the soil, resting inside the pupal case as a fully formed adult until it emerges in the spring.

On the European mainland it has also been recorded feeding on Hazel, Grey Alder, Bird Cherry, poplars, Wormwood, docks and Dandelion.