Burnt trdoleskar (Ligdia adustata)

The burnt trdoleskar is a smaller and very recognizable nocturnal butterfly or moth from the family of geometrids, which is often observed during hiking in the lowlands and hills at forest edges, on clearings or resting on the walls of mountain huts. It got its Slovenian name from the characteristic burnt appearance of the wings and from the plant with which its caterpillars feed. The butterfly has a wingspan between 20 and 25 millimeters, and their basic color is dirty white to silvery gray. The most noticeable are the large, dark brown to almost black spots along the body itself and a wide, wavy dark band on the outer edge of the forewings, while the tip of the wings usually remains light. Although it is a nocturnal butterfly, the light colors and contrasting patterns make it noticeable even during the day, when it sits motionless on the substrate with its wings spread wide. The caterpillars of this species are narrowly specialized and feed almost exclusively on the leaves of the common trdoleska. The species is generally widespread in Slovenia and fairly common from May to September, when two generations develop. We will most often encounter it at transitions between forest and shrubby vegetation, on the edges of mountain paths and near human dwellings, where artificial light sources attract it at night.