Flounced rustic
Flounced rustic caterpillars live and feed almost entirely out of sight, chewing the roots and stem bases of grasses underground until they are ready to pupate.
| Where | Dry grassland, farmland and dunes |
|---|---|
| Size | 30 to 35 mm wingspan |
| When | August to September |
The flounced rustic is a pale brown to reddish brown moth best told from similar rustics by its strongly toothed, pale postmedian line crossing the forewing. The hindwings are paler grey brown, and the wingspan usually falls between 30 and 35 mm.
Caterpillars feed unseen among the roots and stem bases of couch grass, fescues and cereals from autumn through to early summer, overwintering as larvae. The single generation of adults flies at night in late summer over dry grassland, farmland and open woodland, coming to light and sugar.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Brown, Grey
Active
Night
To people
Comes to light and sugar bait in late summer; harmless to handle.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Smaller at 27 to 34 mm, the common rustic has a straighter, less strongly toothed postmedian line, and the two species are sometimes only reliably separated by examining the genitalia.
Questions
Is the Flounced rustic dangerous to people?
Comes to light and sugar bait in late summer; harmless to handle.
When can you see the Flounced rustic?
The Flounced rustic can be seen from August to September, 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›Luperina
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.