Credit Stephen Youngs 1/1

Lunar Yellow Underwing Noctua orbona

The Lunar Yellow Underwing was formerly widespread, but has declined, becoming mainly restricted to the Brecklands. As its name implies it has yellow and black rear wings. The fore-wings are buff coloured with kidney shaped markings and a black crescent. The caterpillar feeds at night on fine grasses such as sheep’s fescue and wavy hair-grass.

Conservation status

This moth favours dry, sandy grassland particularly associated with rabbits. In recent years disease has reduced the Brecklands rabbit population, their resulting fall in number has had a serious impact on the lunar yellow underwing. It has benefitted from habitat work such as ‘turf stripping’ and recent survey work suggests numbers of this moth have increased recently.

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