Bird-cherry ermine
Its caterpillars spin a single silk web that can cover an entire bird cherry tree, sheltering hundreds of larvae as they feed together.
| Where | Woodland and hedgerows near bird cherry |
|---|---|
| Size | 16 to 25 mm wingspan |
| When | July to August |
The Bird-cherry Ermine is a slender white moth with five neat rows of small black dots running along each forewing, giving it a spotted, ermine-like appearance.
Caterpillars live gregariously beneath a dense silk web spun over bird cherry foliage, sometimes stripping entire trees bare before dispersing to pupate in early summer.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
White, Black
Active
Night
To people
Adults fly at night and come to light; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
A smaller relative at about 19 to 22 mm wingspan, similarly white with black spots, but its caterpillars feed on hawthorn and blackthorn rather than bird cherry.
Questions
Is the Bird-cherry ermine dangerous to people?
Adults fly at night and come to light; harmless to people.
When can you see the Bird-cherry ermine?
The Bird-cherry ermine can be seen from July to August, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Donald Hobern from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Ermine moths›Yponomeuta
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.