Hantsmoths

Immigrant, from southern Europe, appearing erratically as an immigrant north to Cumbria, increasingly annual in occurrence, sometimes in good numbers, and breeding in favourable years. In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight a scarce to moderately common immigrant which is widely distributed throughout in some years. Wingspan 30-40 mm. Must be separated from the far more numerous immigrant Silver Y Autographa gamma, which has the silver Y mark unbroken (in Ni Moth, the tail of the Y is detached from the body), and the much darker Scarce Silver Y Syngrapha interrogationis, which also occurs as an immigrant in southern counties and which is resident in northern Britain. Larva polyphagous on various herbaceous plants, including Sea Rocket and Mouse-ear Hawkweed, but unable to over-winter in significant numbers.