Pete's Walks - Box-tree moth

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Photo taken on 8/8/20 at Kensworth, Beds.

This is an Asian moth that was accidentally introduced to the UK, first recorded in Kent in 2007. It has now spread through much of the south of the UK. Its caterpillars can seriously disfigure box trees by removing large numbers of their leaves, sometimes leaving them completely bare, and it is considered a serious pest in parts of Europe.