Bug FAQBlood Vein
Timandra comae · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
The blood vein moth has a wingspan of about 30 to 35 mm and its wings are cream coloured with a bold diagonal red or purple stripe. It flies at night, is attracted to light, and produces two generations each year, flying in late spring and again in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The fore- and hind-wings show a striking diagonal stripe of red or purple across a cream background. The hindwing’s tornus is sharply angled, giving the wing a distinctive shape.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan of roughly 30 to 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
In the British Isles it is found mainly in southern England and Wales, with a patchy distribution elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of dock, knotgrass, sorrel and various Atriplex species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Two broods are produced each year, with adults on the wing in May-June and again in August-September. The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light sources.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
In eastern Europe it is replaced by the sister species Timandra griseata, which was once considered a separate species before being merged again.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the blood vein moth look like?
It has cream-coloured wings crossed by a bold red or purple diagonal stripe and a sharply angled hindwing tornus.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult blood vein moths?
Adults fly at night in two periods: May-June and August-September, and they are attracted to lights.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on dock, knotgrass, sorrel and various Atriplex species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found in the UK?
It is mainly present in southern England and Wales, with a patchy distribution elsewhere in the British Isles.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-vein
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.