Emperor moth  (Saturnia pavonia)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Biology

The adult moths are only on the wing for a couple of months at the most, and during this time they do not feed. They appear in April and are day-flying, the males flying about rapidly in their search for females. Females rest during daytime and an un-mated female can attract a large number of males if she is found resting.

Having mated, the females fly off in the early part of the night to lay their eggs in batches on a number of different species of plants. These include meadow sweet, heather, hawthorn, bramble and birch. The caterpillars hatch in late May and initially feed in groups. They overwinter as pupae.

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