Talk:Winter moth

I added Maine to list of US states in which it is now found...

...based on this Portland Press Herald article:http://www.pressherald.com/news/experts-destructive-winter-moths-are-spreading_2012-12-09.html. But I don't know how to cite it in the article itself. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.78.53.160 (talk) 03:22, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

Okay, I cited it. Thanks for providing the reference.--Brambleshire (talk) 05:42, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Did not at first believe also in Pacific northwest, but there is enough mention in mainstream media. Maybe need a ref for that? David notMD (talk) 14:08, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

Now has ref David notMD (talk) 14:19, 25 August 2018 (UTC)

Egg hatch timing

An interesting and much-researched question is how egg hatch is synchronized with bud-break (the beginnings of leaf and flower bud hydration and growth). Is it number of relatively warm days? Longer sunlight per day? And for that matter, how do plants decide? For the moment, the article states that not only is hatch temperature driven, but that there is an ongoing evolutionary change to compensate for warmer spring weather, because what was happening was that majority of eggs were hatching before bud break but only the minority with genes dictating a slower response were surviving. David notMD (talk) 13:01, 10 December 2017 (UTC)

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Operophtera brumata (caterpillar) focus stacking-20230508-RM-131624.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for March 21, 2025. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2025-03-21. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 16:53, 14 March 2025 (UTC)

The winter moth (Operophtera brumata) is an insect in the geometer moth family, Geometridae. It is an abundant species in Europe and the Near East and a famous study organism for evaluating insect population dynamics. It is one of very few lepidopterans of temperate regions in which adults are active in late autumn and early winter. Winter moth caterpillars emerge in early spring from egg masses with recently hatched larvae feeding on expanding leaf buds, often after having burrowed inside the bud, and later on foliage. In addition to feeding on the tree where they hatched, young larvae will also produce silk strands to be wind-blown to other trees. The larvae descend to the ground by mid-May with pupation occurring in the soil in late May. Adult moths then emerge from the soil in mid-late November. This focus stack of 73 photographs shows a winter moth caterpillar on a rose leaf in a garden in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.

Photograph credit: Reinhold Möller

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