Scythris inspersella

Scythris inspersella, the Norfolk owlet, is a moth of the family Scythrididae, first described by the German entomologist Jacob Hübner in 1817. It has a Holarctic distribution.

Description

The wingspan is 13–15 mm. The forewings are black with blueish-white scales. The hindwings are dark ochreous brown. Adults are on wing from July to August, flying during the day, visiting flowers.
The larvae feed on rosebay willowherb, broad-leaved willowherb and great willowherb. They spin the terminal shoots of their host plant together. Larvae can be found in June and July.

Distribution

The moth is found in Asia, Europe and North America. In Great Britain it was first found at Hockwold, Norfolk in 1977, although not identified until 1980. It has since been found elsewhere in Norfolk, Yorkshire and Tunstall Common, Suffolk.