Black-veined Moth

Siona lineata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The caterpillars can chew leaves of garden herbs and some shrubs, so they may damage garden plants.

Source: Wikipedia

Black-veined Moth
Photo: ingridaltmann, CC BY

The black-veined moth has a wingspan of about 35 to 40 mm and white or cream wings with dark veins on top and blackish veins underneath, often showing a faint dark stripe beyond the middle of the forewings. It lives in limestone or chalk grasslands, open woods and grassy pastures across most of Europe and parts of Asia, and its larvae feed on a variety of herbs and some woody plants.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The upper side of the wings is white or cream with dusky veins, while the underside shows dark veins and often a faint blackish transverse stripe beyond the middle of the forewings.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Adults have a wingspan ranging from 35 to 40 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

They are found on limestone and chalk grasslands, rough downland, open woodlands, pastures and other grassy areas.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Caterpillars eat a range of herbaceous plants such as oregano, meadow grass, St. John’s wort, vetch, lady-vetch, yellow-rattle, goldenrod, yarrow, tansy, and also feed on willow, and common viburnum.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults fly by day in a single generation from early May to late June.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are on the wing from the beginning of May through the end of June.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species is common throughout Europe.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Black-veined Moth photo 3
Photo: ingridaltmann, CC BY

Questions people ask

Do black-veined moth caterpillars damage garden plants?

Yes, the larvae feed on many garden herbs and some shrubs, which can lead to leaf loss and reduced plant vigor.

Source: Wikipedia

When can I see adult black-veined moths?

Adults are active during the day from early May until the end of June.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Geometridae)

Willow BeautyWillow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidariaPale BeautyPale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Lace-border MothLarge Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or cropsRiband WaveRiband WaveIdaea aversataYellow Shell MothYellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineataLarge Maple Spanworm MothLarge Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siona_lineata

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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