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Nutmeg (moth)
 
 
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The Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii), also known as the Clover Cutworm, is a moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
 of the family Noctuidae
Noctuidae

The Noctuidae or Owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera....
. It is found throughout Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 although in the north of its range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters.

This is a small to medium (wingspan
Wingspan

The wingspan of an fixed-wing aircraft or a bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about 60 m ....
 33-39 mm) species with cryptically coloured forewings, varying from light to dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge.






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Encyclopedia


The Nutmeg (Discestra trifolii), also known as the Clover Cutworm, is a moth
Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
 of the family Noctuidae
Noctuidae

The Noctuidae or Owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera....
. It is found throughout Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 although in the north of its range it is a summer migrant, not being able to survive the cold winters.

This is a small to medium (wingspan
Wingspan

The wingspan of an fixed-wing aircraft or a bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about 60 m ....
 33-39 mm) species with cryptically coloured forewings, varying from light to dark brown, sometimes with a reddish tinge. The most characteristic feature is a distinctively "W"-shaped white subterminal line. This feature is seen on some other noctuids but usually much larger species. The hindwings are grey or buff, darker towards the termen
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms

This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of lepidopteran species.Like all insects, adult butterflies have three distinctive segments to their bodies, the head, thorax and abdomen....
, marked with dark veins. One or two broods are produced each year and adults can be seen at any time from May to September. This species flies at night and is attracted to light as well as to sugar and nectar-rich flower
Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproduction structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds....
s.

Flight from June to first half of July. Second generation from latter half of July to September.

The larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
 feeds on a wide range of plant
Plant

Plants are Life organisms belonging to the Kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae....
s (see list below). The species overwinters as a pupa
Pupa

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in Holometabolism insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago....
.

Recorded food plants


  • Allium
    Allium

    Allium is the onion genus, with about 1250 species, making it one of the largest plant genera in the world. They are perennial plant bulbous plants that produce chemical compounds that give them a characteristic onion or garlic taste and odor, and many are used as food plants....
  • Amaranthus - Amaranth
    Amaranth

    Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth or pigweed, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are presently recognized, with inflorescences and foliage ranging from purple and red to gold....
  • Apium - Celery
    Celery

    Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten....
  • Arachis - Peanut
    Peanut

    The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico and Central America. It is an annual plant herbaceous plant growing to 30 to 50 cm tall....
  • Asparagus - Asparagus
    Asparagus

    Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus from which the vegetable known as asparagus is obtained....
  • Atriplex
    Atriplex

    Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed....
  • Beta - Beet
    Beet

    The beet is a plant in the Amaranthaceae. It is best known its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is probably the red root vegetable known as the garden beet....
  • Brassica
    Brassica

    Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family . The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards....
  • Cannabis
    Cannabis

    Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis indica Lam., and Cannabis ruderalis Janisch....
  • Chenopodium
    Chenopodium

    Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of perennial or annual plant herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world....
     - Goosefoot
  • Cytisus - Broom
    Broom (shrub)

    Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in five other small Genus ....
  • Glycine - Soybean
    Soybean

    The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
  • Gossypium - Cotton plant
  • Halogeton
    Halogeton

    Halogeton is a plant genus for which 6 species are presently proposed. The species are annual plants which are tolerant of fairly saline soils; the genus name, Halogeton, derives from the Greek words for "salt" and for "neighbor."...
  • Hibiscus
    Hibiscus

    Scientific name:Hibiscus rosa-sinensisThe Genus Hibiscus comprises plants also commonly called hibiscus and less widely known as rosemallow....
  • Lactuca
    Lactuca

    Lactuca, commonly known as lettuce, is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae. The genus includes about 100 species, distributed worldwide, but mainly in temperate Eurasia....
     - Lettuce
  • Linum - Flax
    Flax

    Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean region to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent....
  • Lycopersicon - Tomato
    Tomato

    The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
  • Medicago - Alfalfa
    Alfalfa

    Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand it is known as lucerne and as lucerne grass in south Asia....
  • Nicotiana - Tobacco
    Tobacco

    Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines....
  • Petroselinum - Parsley
    Parsley

    Parsley is a bright green, biennial plant herb, also used as spice. It is very common in Middle Eastern cuisine, European cuisine, and American cuisine cooking....
  • Phaseolus - Common bean
    Common bean

    The common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, is an herbaceous annual plant domesticated independently in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes, and now grown worldwide for its edible bean, popular both dry and as a green bean....
  • Pisum
    Pisum

    Pisum is a genus of the family Fabaceae, native to southwest Asia and northeast Africa. It contains one to five species, depending on taxonomic interpretation; the International Legume Database accepts three species, one with two subspecies :...
  • Populus - Poplar
    Poplar

    Populus is a genus of between 25?35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere....
  • Portulaca
    Portulaca

    Portulaca is the type genus of the purslane family Portulacaceae, comprising about 40-100 species found in the tropics and warm temperate regions....
     - Purslane
  • Raphanus - Radish
    Radish

    The radish is an Eating root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman Empire times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world....
  • Rheum - Rhubarb
    Rhubarb

    Rheum is a genus of perennial plants that grows from thick short rhizomes. The genus is in the family Polygonaceae, and includes the vegetable rhubarb The plants have large leaf that are somewhat triangular shaped with long fleshy Petiole s....
  • Ricinus - Castor bean
  • Salsola
    Salsola

    Salsola is a genus of herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees in the family Chenopodiaceae, native to Africa, Asia, and Europe. Plants in this genus typically grow on flat, often dry and/or somewhat salinity soils, with some species in saltmarshes....
  • Scorzonera
    Scorzonera

    Scorzonera is a genus of the sunflower family , subfamily Lactucoideae, tribe Lactuceae, subtribe Scorzonerinae.It comprises about 100 species, the best-known of which is the edible black salsify ....
  • Sonchus
    Sonchus

    Sow thistles are annual herbs in the genus Sonchus, after their Ancient Greece name. All are characterized by soft, somewhat irregularly lobed leaves that clasp the stem and, at least initially, form a basal rosette....
     - Sow-thistle
  • Spinacia - Spinach
    Spinach

    Spinach is a flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm....
  • Taraxacum - Dandelion
  • Trifolium - Clover
    Clover

    Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes on mountains in the tropics....
  • Ulmus - Elm
    Elm

    Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus, family Ulmaceae. Elms first appeared in the Miocene period about 40 million years ago....


Reading

  • Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
  • Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984