Cucullia cineracea Freyer, 184

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives on Artemisia, mainly Artemisia camphorata (= Artemisia alba).

Habitat:
Cucullia cineracea inhabits dry slopes and steppe grasslands at medium-high altitudes between about 800 to 1700 meters above sea level.

Life cycle:
The pupa hibernates. The moths fly in July and August. The caterpillar lives in August and September (rarely still in October) open on the flowering plant also during the day. I found the caterpillar in mid-September in the Hautes-Alpes usually already in last instar, rarely still half-grown.

Endangerment factors:
Cucullia cineracea is very sensitive to changes in habitat (bush encroachment/reforestation, fragmentation by buildings, etc.).

Remarks:
Cucullia cineracea occurs only very locally in southeast France (Alps) and Italy. Furthermore, the moths is found north of the Black Sea and in Russia.