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Family: Noctuidae
Wing Span 1 5/8 (42 mm)
An anual migrant from the continent, this species gets its name from the Y - shaped silver marks on each fore wing. Adults are often sen by day with fast "buzzing" wing beats. Silver y moths vary in colour from purple-grey to almost black, but they all have the characteristic ‘y’ mark on each forewing. It has pale brown wings have the distinctive marking . This moth is well-camouflaged is hard to see when resting , it is active by day and dusk, when it feeds on flowers.
This moth, which often flies during the day with a fast, whirring action, migrates and can be found throughout the UK, sometimes in abundance.
Lifecycle
There are generally two waves of migration from Europe: spring and late summer. The caterpillars are green feeding by night on a variety of low-growing plants. like lettuce and rest in crevices during the day. There are usually 2 - 3 generations (broods) per year The caterpillars can be seen from June to September.They are smooth and any shade of green, from pale to dark olive. Pupation takes place in loose cocoons among leaves.
The Beautiful Golden Y (Autographa pulchrina) is flound in similar habitats and has the same food plants/ Its forewings are golden orangewith the Y shaped mark boken to fom a V with a dot
Diet
Wide range of low growing plants.Predators
Dragonflies and damselflies, Natterer's bat, Noctule bat, Serotine bat
IMAGES (C) 2008 COLIN DUKE
IMAGE 9533 (C) 2008 COLIN DUKE
IMAGES 9534 (C) 2008 COLIN DUKE
IMAGES 9535 (C) 2008 COLIN DUKE
