Copper underwing
The copper underwing hides bright copper coloured hindwings under plain dark brown forewings, flashing them open only when disturbed at rest.
| Where | Woodland, hedgerows and old gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 47 to 54 mm wingspan |
| When | July to October |
The Copper Underwing has dark brown forewings with faint straw coloured crosslines, while the hindwings are a contrasting copper colour with darker veining, usually hidden until the moth is disturbed.
Adults fly from July to October and are attracted to both sugar bait and light. Caterpillars feed on oak and a range of other trees and shrubs, and are most often found in woodland, hedgerows and old gardens.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, Orange
Active
Night
To people
Harmless to people; it comes to sugar bait and light traps in late summer.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Very similar in size at about 47 to 56 mm wingspan; the two are best told apart by the underside of the hindwing, which is more evenly orange copper in Svensson's Copper Underwing.
Questions
Is the Copper underwing dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; it comes to sugar bait and light traps in late summer.
When can you see the Copper underwing?
The Copper underwing can be seen from July to October, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Janet Graham, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Owlet moths›Amphipyra
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.