Fluffy snouts in the turf: An evening encounter with the pearl veneer

The pearl veneer (Agriphila straminella) is a tiny, abundant micro-moth (family: Crambidae) of grassy habitats, featuring a delicate 16–20 mm wingspan edged with subtle metallic cilia. Although it is one of the smaller and more understated grass moths, its light yellowish-brown forewings are neatly marked by a distinct, pale median streak. Unusually active for a moth, it flies in bright sunshine as well as from dusk through the night, making it a frequent visitor to artificial light traps. Beneath the turf, its caterpillars construct protective silken tubes and galleries around the basal stems of grasses like sheep’s fescue (Festuca ovina) and smooth meadow-grass (Poa pratensis). I met this cute, tiny moth—complete with its charmingly fluffy snout— during an evening walk in a small park just a few blocks from my home in Barkarby, Sweden.

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