Text and photos Aare Lindt, www.loodusmuuseum.ee
Translation Liis
Yellow horned moth Kevad-udeselg Achlya flavicornis
The yellow horned moth is one of the commonest moths in April and they cam be encountered everywhere in Estonia.
By vibrating its wings in a cold spring night the moth boosts its body temperature and is able to fly even at 0 ⁰C.
Thanks to their hiding skills we see them only seldom in daytime – for instance sleeping near some night-time source of light. The sleeping moth hides its yellowish-orange antennae under the wing edges, when awake it holds them spread out. The wing span is 35 to 40 mm.
The caterpillars of the yellow horned moth feed on birches and aspens, the pupa winters on the ground or in the topmost soil layer.
