| Silver Y (Autographa gamma (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Autographa gamma (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Silver Y Other names: Gamma French name: Lambda Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Noctuidae Subfamily: Plusiinae Wingspan: 35-45mm. Biotope: Various habitats, forests, plains, cultivated areas. Geographic area: Europe, Asia and Northern Africa. Flight time: April to November. Number of generations : 2 Caterpillar: Pale green with six whitish longitudinal lines. Host plant: Many low-growing cultivated and wild plants. |
You can easily identify this butterfly by the white Gamma/Y-shaped mark located on the forewings. Hindwings are pale brown with a wide dark band near the outer edge. The general grey or greyish-brown colour allows an efficient camouflage among branches. The Silver Y moth mainly flies during the night. This an important migrant which can move in groups of more than thousands of butterflies. The caterpillars can cause important damages to cultivations. |
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It is rather easy to tell the Silver Y apart among other species. |
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I have observed this Silver Y on the garage's door. |
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The same one in the right position. It was landed with the head down. |
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At night, Silver Y are used to coming to lavender to gather nectar. The wings beat almost continuously, just stopping shortly at regular intervals. You need to shoot the picture at this time. |
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You just need to walk in a grassy or bushy place to observe Silver Y moths. |
André Bon November 2012