Lunar Yellow Underwing Noctua orbona
Lunar Yellow Underwing Noctua orbona
Adult • Iken Cliff, Suffolk • © Paul Kitchener

73.344 BF2108

Lunar Yellow Underwing Noctua orbona

(Hufnagel, 1766)


Wingspan 38-45 mm.

A declining species which has now disappeared from many of its former haunts. It still occurs in scattered localities in southern England and East Anglia, but is generally quite rare.

It resembles the Lesser Yellow Underwing (N. comes), but has a narrower, straighter forewing with a distinct black mark on the leading edge near the tip.

The larvae feed on a number of herbaceous plants and grasses, and the adults fly from June to September.
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