Pebble Hook-tip Drepana falcataria
The family of the Hook-tips is a rather small family of moths. Some species do look like Geometers with a hook, other do look like Noctuids. In Dutch they are called 'one-tails', for the caterpillars of this family have a body that ends in a point (just one tail). Looking at the pictures it is not difficult to tell how the English common name came about. Alas, not all family members show this little 'hook'. The caterpillar of the species below to the left can be found on Pebbles and Birches alike. The Pebble Hook-tip is a common species all over the British Isles, except for the most northern parts. On the wing in two generations from May to September. In Scotland however it is single-brooded, flying in May and June. It is not a very big species, reaching a maximum wingspan of some 40 mm.
