Little and large...

Well, we're all well familiar with the evil Noctua pronuba - the Large Yellow Underwing. It's a Euro import that has spread widely and is now common throughout southern Ontario. In fact, if anyone has a question about a "mystery" moth it nearly always turns out to be this unwelcome character. This is partly because it does not feature in any of the popular guides. Also, they are prone to hide under bits of wood and suchlike in the garden during daylight hours and often erupt from their hiding place with a whirl of orange hindwings that attracts attention!

Anyway, this year I've started to catch its smaller cousin, namely Noctua comes, the Lesser Yellow Underwing. I've caught three thus far in my Toronto backyard trap. Another Euro import to add to all the others we get now! In the above photo you can clearly see the size difference between the two species. Lesser is usually more uniform looking generally but can be as variable as its larger cousin. Apart from size it is not as "snouty" as the big boy and looks more compact and square-ended. I dare say this devil will become as common as the the other one in the fullness of time...