Tholera cespitis

Tholera cespitis, the hedge rustic, is a moth of the family Noctuidae, first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It occurs across the Palearctic, from Europe to the Altai Mountains of Siberia. The wingspan is 34 to 40 millimetres. The forewings are dark earth brown, sometimes looking iridescent purplish blue in certain light, with indistinct lines, a roundish brown orbicular stigma with a pale ring and a large reniform stigma, while the hindwings are whitish with dark veins. There is one generation a year, with adults on the wing from the end of July to September. The larvae are dark brown with pale yellow lines and feed on grasses including Nardus stricta, Calamagrostis purpurea, Festuca and Deschampsia, and they can be found from March to July. The species overwinters as an egg. Two subspecies are recognised, the nominate one and Tholera cespitis armena.