Orache moth
Trachea atriplicis
The orache moth is a pretty moth with greyish purple wings and bright pale green patches. Across each front wing runs a big white blotch, often with a pink tinge. It flies at night from spring until autumn.
Lives in
All of Europe and across Asia to Japan
Wingspan
3.8 to 4.2 cm (1.5 to 1.7 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat low plants like orache, knotgrass, goosefoot and dock.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 7 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 27 seconds
How big is Orache moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Orache moth about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
The moths found in Japan are bigger and a deeper purple.
2
Its caterpillar is purplish brown, sometimes with a green tinge, and has pinkish white lines on its sides.
3
Depending on where it lives, it flies from May to October.
you asked
Most asked questions about Orache moth
?What does the orache moth eat?
Its caterpillars eat plants like orache, knotgrass, goosefoot and dock.
?How big is the orache moth?
Its wings measure about 38 to 42 millimetres across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Trachea atriplicis
- Named by
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Noctuidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Noctuidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Trachea atriplicis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Drixed. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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