As an agricultural pest, Noctua pronuba may feed on exposed annual plants if they are not covered by snow. It is a moth from the family owlet moths Noctuidae. Bowles mentioned their destructive habits in My Garden in Spring, the first in his trilogy of books about his garden in Middlesex. Caterpillars of this species are pests of most crops. Is this normal? It was crawling on my porch steps in Central NY. Wingspan 45-60mm; UK flight time Jun-Oct. Night-flying but often disturbed by day. Scientific name: Noctua pronuba This caterpillar is the larval stage of the Large Yellow Underwing Moth, one of the pests known as a cutworm. They belong to the largest family of moths, called Noctuidae. Ah but people once complained about the abundance of Tasmanian Tigers as well so it doesn't bother me that is is an abundant species The thing is, I could record thousands of N. pronuba in a moth trap without actually getting to know anything about the animal itself. The species originally came from Europe. It made its first North American appearance in Nova Scotia in 1979. 1/4 The great plantsman E.A. The winter cutworm, also called noctua pronuba, is the larval form of the yellow underwing moth. Source. Personally, I'd rather learn a lot about a few species than a little about a lot. Royalty-free stock photo ID: 1051058273. It belongs to the underwings, a group of Owlet Moths with rather dull frontwings and very colourful underwings. Noctua pronuba, or the Yellow Underwing, is named after the brightly coloured hindwings. This might provide enough of an advantage to the caterpillars that it balances out potential mortality due to the cold and predation (a brown caterpillar is pretty obvious on white snow). Large Yellow Underwing Moth Noctua pronuba One of the most common large moths. The large yellow underwing (Noctua pronuba) is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae.It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic realm, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region.In some years the species is highly migratory with large numbers appearing suddenly in marginal parts of the range. Caterpillars of the large yellow underwing (Noctua pronuba). Noctua N. pronuba; The Large Yellow Underwing is a relatively huge, very variable Noctuid. The caterpillars are named cutworms, because they damage plants by chewing through the stems, cutting them at the base. My caterpillar used its head and kept slamming at my spoon that I was using to scoop it out. Daytime - saved from drowning in birdbath - clear markings ... Large Yellow Underwing caterpillar Trish on June 18, 2019: What is a black and orange, non-hairy caterpillar? I have a Noctua pronuba and found out that, it can be violent to things that move and touch them. Because the adult moths are effective fliers, the species was able to spread rapidly across the northern U.S. Showing the beautiful yellow underwings. Abundant throughout the Palearctic ecozone, Europe, the Middle East, and unfortunately introduced to North America in the 1980’s, the winter cutworm moth is one of the largest moths that I’m covering today. Noctua pronuba (L.) is one of the most common Noctuid moths in Europe. It is the caterpillar of the Large Yellow Underwing overwintering, but they stay active during mild nights. The first moths collected in North America were found in Nova Scotia in 1979, and this species has since spread across Canada and the United States. Large Yellow Underwing Moth (Noctua pronuba) Detailing the physical features, habits, territorial reach and other identifying qualities of the Large Yellow Underwing Moth. Noctua pronuba, ‘Large Yellow Underwing’, ‘Winter Cutworm’. 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