Pale Beauty
Campaea perlata
To blend in perfectly with twigs, the caterpillars have a fringe of small fleshy appendages along their sides that eliminate cast shadows, rendering them nearly invisible to predators.
- Scientific name
- Campaea perlata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Geometridae › Campaea
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests, woodlands, and suburban tree canopies.
- Diet
- Larvae feed on a wide variety of woody plants including birch, maple, willow, oak, and fir; adults do not feed, surviving on stored larval energy.
- Range
- North America, Canada, United States
- Size
- Wingspan of 35 to 51 mm (1.4 to 2.0 inches).
- Lifespan
- Approximately 1 year (with adults living only 1 to 2 weeks to mate).
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Light pollution disrupting mating and navigation, heavy pesticide application, and habitat fragmentation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. If this moth rests on you, appreciate its delicate coloration from a close distance. To relocate it safely, gently nudge it onto a leaf or piece of paper and place it outside on a tree branch. It poses no threat and cannot bite or sting.
Campaea perlata , the pale beauty , is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. The average wingspan is about 28–51 mm, and the female tends to be much larger than the male.
Photo: Bill Keim, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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