Butterflies & moths to look for in January — December Moth

The December moth (Poecilocampa populi) is one of the few British moths whose adult form can only be seen in winter. It has a few clever survival strategies! Inside they have alcohols which act like ‘anti-freeze’ to stop ice-crystals forming and they will vibrate their wings to generate their own body heat, allowing them to fly on cold nights. Also they don’t need to look for food as they aren’t able to feed, instead they have to survive on all the food they ate as caterpillars! Their job is only to move away (disperse) and find a mate.