Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate grassland

Range

Eurasia

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

The Silver Y is a long-distance migratory moth named for the metallic γ-shaped marking on each forewing. It travels thousands of kilometres annually between southern Europe and northern breeding grounds, riding high-altitude winds at speeds exceeding 50 km/h.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   cocoon

   A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   moth

   A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Noctuidae

Genus

Autographa

Species

Autographa gamma