Today's species spotlight is on a moth - the Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba)
It is an abundant species in much of the northern part of Europe and Asia, and is now spreading across North America, having been introduced in Nova Scotia at some point, probably in the 1980's.
It is quite a variable moth, with the upperwing going from a rich chestnut brown to pale fawn, but it always has a little black spot just before the tip of the forewing. The hindwing has a dark border around a striking orangey-yellow patch which is very visible when it flies but not often when it is resting. Occasionally, as the fourth photo shows, you can see a little bit of the yellow when it is perched.
These photos were all taken in my garden this morning and show four of the 33 Large Yellow Underwings that I caught in my moth trap last night (along with several other species). The moth trap is basically a bright light above a metal box, in which I have put a lot of egg boxes. The moths are attracted by the light and then enter the box through a broad funnel. Once inside, they rest on the egg boxes until I come out, early in the morning, to identify them and let them go, unharmed
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