Pammene fasciana

Wingspan 13-17 mm. An attractive species which, when fresh, shows a series of bluish metallic and tawny markings with a rosy flush to the whitish ground colour.

Various habitats, particularly well wooded areas containing Oak or Sweet Chestnut.

The moths fly in June and July and are partially diurnal with the males in particular flying at sunrise and in the afternoon.

The larvae feed internally in the acorns of Oak and the nuts of Sweet Chestnut.

Widely distributed throughout Britain, it is commonest in the south, becoming gradually scarcer further north. In the Butterfly Conservation’s Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as common.

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. L&R Moth Group status = A (common and resident)