The reader Paula Gonzalez found a butterfly on September 1st in her house in São Mamede Infesta and asked Wilder to identify the species. The team from the Night Butterfly Stations Network responded that it is a female of Lasiocampa quercus.
This species was described in 1758 and belongs to the family Lasiocampidae, the same family as the butterfly Lasiocampa trifolii, which had already been identified in this column. Adult males can reach 70 millimeters and females 99 millimeters.
Lasiocampa quercus occurs almost throughout Europe and is in flight, in the adult phase, during the summer. The species spends the winter in the caterpillar phase and can be seen in shrubs or not very large trees in autumn and early spring.
The Night Butterfly Stations Network has prepared a field guide dedicated to these butterflies for those who want to know more about the species.
