Dryobotodes monochroma (Esper, 1790)

Host plants:
The caterpillars live on oak species, primarily Quercus pubescens.

Habitat:
Dryobotodes monochroma inhabits sunny and warm oak forests, the Mediterranean maquis, Quercus pubescens forests and oak-rich dry grasslands.

Life cycle:
The moths fly from August to October. The caterpillars are found mainly in April and May. They are whitish and not colored as deep green as those of Dryobotodes eremita. I found caterpillars on downy oak in Provence (Massif de la Sainte Baume) in April 2011.

Remarks:
Dryobotodes monochroma occurs from Northwest Africa through Southern Europe to the Black Sea. To the north, it reaches the southern Switzerland, the valleys of the Southern Alps, eastern Austria and the Czech Republic.