MOTH OF THE DAY - Tuesday: Trans-winter owlet moth – Meterana vitiosa

Trans-winter because these moths come out right through the winter months, although not that you’d know it. These owlets (Meterana vitiosa) have a 37mm wingspan and shades of green and black on dark brown forewings. That’s hard enough to see in a forest, but reflecting their name, they are night active. But if you were in forest with a bright light on a mild winter’s night they can be common. This is because their caterpillars feed on native coprosma shrubs in the forest shade. And coprosmas are common with so many different ‘tasty’ species to choose from. And note there are plants -even coprosma species – that are winter flowering, and so these moths can provide a ‘winter pollination service’ in native forests.