Little Sunset Red is a beautiful pink-red butterfly with the beautiful official name: Deilephila porcellus. Butterfly lovers can encounter the species on the Wadden Islands, among other places. You have to look carefully, because it is a moth that can only be seen occasionally during the day. It flies at dusk and at night and then looks for honeysuckle, for example, to harvest nectar. Honeysuckle can be found in abundance in the forests and dunes on Ameland, so that the distribution area of this beauty extends to the Wadden Island.
Butterfly of the Pintail family
- Moth small sunset sky
- Characteristics
- Life cycle
- Bedstraw
- Flight time
- Spread
- Ameland
Moth small sunset sky
Little sunset red is a moth that is related to the pintails (Spingidae). This family is so named because of the arrow on the caterpillar’s abdomen. That arrow is actually a spine. The family has 1,460 different species worldwide. This species resembles great sunset sky. The big brother is less yellow and has a pink-red stripe that is clearly visible on the abdomen.
Characteristics
The wingspan of this moth is 45 to 51 millimeters. It is a smallish pintail with wings that are pinkish red and tan. Olive-green transverse lines run across the wings and the combination of that green with the pink is wonderful. Little sunset red is a real one beauty.
Life cycle
The caterpillar lives from June to September and eats mainly at night. During the day, it hides in the foliage on the ground near the host plant, the plant where the butterfly deposits its eggs. The species hibernates as a doll. The loose cocoon lies in the litter layer.
Eye spots
The caterpillar has eye spots that it shows in danger. He uses the trick to scare off his attacker. It then retracts its head, giving the caterpillar a terrifying monstrous appearance. As an extra deterrent function, the animal will vibrate and shake its body. If that doesn’t deter his assailant, it may have been his last trick.
Bedstraw
The host plants of this butterfly are plants of the star bath family, such as:
- bedstraw
- sweet woodruff
- cleavers
The species also considers the evening primrose family as a host plant. A well-known species from that family is fireweed.
Flight time
Small sunset sky mainly flies from May to mid-August. He can also be seen from time to time in April and early September. The butterfly flies in one generation. They fly from dusk and then look for flowers to harvest nectar. They like honeysuckle, rhododendron and snakewort. The moths approach light.
Spread
The species is common in dunes along the coast and on sandy soils in the interior of the Netherlands. In addition to our country, it occurs throughout Europe, North Africa and West Asia.
Ameland
Ameland’s butterfly counters also count it small sunset sky as a butterfly on Ameland. With a little luck you can even take a picture of this moth during the day, because sometimes it flies when the sun is shining. Just look where a honeysuckle is and every chance that you will find the little sunset red there. And there is plenty of honeysuckle on Ameland, in the woods and dunes.
Little evening red is one of the many butterflies seen on Ameland.