Emperor Moth
Saturnia pavonia
Print fact sheet (PDF)
The male flies by day in a fast zig-zag, tracking a female's scent from a mile away.
Our only resident member of the great silk-moth family: a large moth with a prominent eyespot on each of its four wings. Males have orange hindwings and fly by day; the larger females are greyer and fly at night. Emperor moths live on heather moorland and scrubby heath, so the hills and moss ground around Dumfries and Galloway are the place to look.
Behaviour
The male's antennae are large and feathered, and can detect a female's pheromone from a great distance — a mile or more — which is why males are seen coursing rapidly in a zig-zag low over heather on warm April afternoons. Females barely fly until they have mated. The caterpillar is a striking green larva ringed with black and studded with orange warts, feeding on heather and bramble.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Emperor and silk moths (Saturniidae)
- Wingspan
- 5–8 cm · females larger than males
- Status
- Native; local on moorland and heath
Photo by jean-pierre Hamon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons