Grapholita jungiella
Beautiful Crescent
Vetch Piercer
Wingspan 10-13 mm. The moths fly low over the foodplants in sunshine and have conspicuously white hindwings.
Woodland, downland and scrub.
A springtime species, flying in April and May in the north, whilst in the south a later second generation also occurs.
The larvae feed on Bitter Vetch and Bush Vetch, spinning the leaves together or living inside the seed pods.
It is a reasonably common species over much of the British Isles. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.
Fairly frequent but not common in Leicestershire & Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = B (scarce resident or restricted distribution or regular migrant)
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
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Species profile
- Common names
- Vetch Piercer
- Species group:
- insect - moth
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
- Order:
- Lepidoptera
- Family:
- Tortricidae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 25
- First record:
- 12/05/2008 (Nicholls, David)
- Last record:
- 12/05/2025 (Calow, Graham)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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