Orange swift

The orange swift (Triodia sylvina), also known as "orange moth" (but see Angerona prunaria), is a species of moth belonging to the family Hepialidae. It was previously placed in the genus Hepialus. It is distributed throughout Europe.

This species has a wingspan of 32–48 mm. The male has rich orange forewings with two white bars forming a "v" shape. The hindwings are dark brown. The female is similar but generally larger and less brightly coloured. It flies at night from June to September ^[1] and is attracted to light.

The larva feeds on the roots of various plants including bracken, dandelion, dock, hop and viper's bugloss. This species overwinters twice as a larva.

1. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.