Lesser Yellow Underwing

Fascinating facts about the Lesser Yellow Underwing

• The lesser yellow underwing reached North America when it was first released in British Columbia around 1982. From that foothold it gradually expanded southward through the Pacific Northwest, colonising suitable habitats along the coast and inland valleys. Recent surveys have even documented its presence as far east as Ontario, confirming that the species has continued to spread well beyond its initial range.
• The moth's hindwings display a vivid orange-yellow colour contrasted by a broad black band that runs just inside the wing margin. In the centre of each hindwing a distinct lunule appears, a small crescent-shaped mark that is normally missing in its larger relative. This combination of orange-yellow ground colour, sub-terminal black band and central lunule gives the species a striking underside that helps differentiate it from the common large yellow underwing.
• With a wingspan ranging from 38 to 48 mm, the lesser yellow underwing looks like a miniature version of the larger yellow underwing. Its forewings share the same variable clay to brown tones, but the overall size remains noticeably smaller, giving it a more compact silhouette. Despite the size difference, the two species are distinct, and the smaller moth retains the broad-winged impression noted in descriptions.
• The caterpillar of the lesser yellow underwing does not behave like the typical cutworm; instead it chews the leaves of many different species. It will eat the foliage of both woody plants such as birch, hawthorn and willow and herbaceous species including heather, thistle and strawberry. This broad diet lets the larva survive in a variety of habitats, from woodlands to grasslands, because it is not limited to a single host plant.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Lesser Yellow Underwing

As the sun dips below the horizon, the Lesser Yellow Underwing stirs, its delicate wings unfolding like a whispered promise, as it takes to the evening air with a soft, fluttering beat. With a gentle, erratic dance, it weaves through the shadows, its yellow-hued wings glowing like embers in the fading light, as it searches for the sweet, heady nectar of blooming flowers. In this fleeting, crepuscular world, the Lesser Yellow Underwing is a master of subtlety, its quiet beauty and elusive nature rendering it a captivating, yet enigmatic, presence.

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