I found this beauty in the moth trap this morning. It’s the Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina). When I first got two in the trap last year, I was surprised to learn that such an exotic-looking species is actually quite common, and attracted to bright lights, so I’ve been expecting to come across a few again this season.If you make your living from orchard produce and came across it, you wouldn’t be quite as excited because these are renowned pests of fruit trees such as apple, pear and plum, though the larvae utilise all kinds of shrubs. They bore under the bark and spend the next few years making their way through the wood, which can cause serious damage.
Although the adults don’t feed and, consequently, only live for 8-10 days, the female can lay about a 1000 eggs, giving her a pretty good chance of keeping the family going!
Have a look at those incredible eyes!
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