Timandra comae, Blood-vein

Common Name: Blood-vein

Timandra comae, more commonly known as the Blood-vein, is a moth of the family Geometridae. This attractive moth has a wingspan of between 23-28mm, and is fairly common in the southern counties of England and Wales, but scarcer further north and in Ireland.

The adult, when resting, holds the wings in such a position that the reddish cross-lines of the fore and hind wings form a continuous band. The fringes of the wings are also suffused with pink. The posterior edge of the hindwing is sharply angled giving a distinctive shape.

Two broods are produced each year with the adults flying in May and June and again in August and September. It flies at night and is attracted to light. The larva is grey-brown with darker spots on the back. In the UK, it feeds on the leaves of a variety of plants including dock, knotgrass, sorrel and orache, and overwinters as a larva.

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