Ash pug

The ash pug is a small moth of the family Geometridae that is widely distributed in the United Kingdom. It was originally known as Eupithecia fraxinata, but it is now believed to be a form of Eupithecia innotata, written Eupithecia innotata f. fraxinata. Its forewings are generally dark brown or grey with few distinguishing marks, apart from a small white spot near the tornus that may be absent in the frequent melanic forms. The wingspan is 18 to 24 millimetres. Two broods are produced each year, with adults flying in May and June and again in August, and the moths of the spring brood are usually darker than the later ones. The caterpillars feed on ash, and the species overwinters as a pupa. Flight times given in the field guides refer to the British Isles and may vary elsewhere in the range.