Autumnal Moth vs Bordered White

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Autumnal Moth Bordered White
Scientific Name Epirrita autumnata Bupalus piniaria
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Geometridae Geometridae
Size 28-35 mm wingspan 32-40 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Herbivores Omnivores
Regions Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, subarctic Siberia Europe, temperate Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Autumnal Moth

A grayish-brown moth with faint wavy crosslines on the forewings. It flies in autumn in subarctic birch forests. Periodic outbreaks of its larvae can completely defoliate vast areas of mountain birch forest.

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Did You Know?

Outbreaks of this moth in Scandinavian birch forests occur roughly every 10 years and can kill entire mountain birch forests across thousands of hectares.

Bordered White

A sexually dimorphic moth where males are white with brown borders and females are orange-brown. It is one of the most important defoliators of pine forests in Europe.

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Did You Know?

Major outbreaks can defoliate thousands of hectares of pine forest in a single season.