Noctua comes

Lesser Yellow Underwing

This European moth was first noticed in the Vancouver area in 1982. It is now one of the most frequently encountered noctuids in suburban habitats in Victoria. The caterpillars can be found by flashlight at night, in March and April, feeding on various herbaceous plants, but it seems to have a special preference for Rumex crispus, yet strangely I have had caterpillars that were found on Rumex crispus refuse leaves of the similar Rumex obtusifolia. Nevertheless, I have found them on a variety of plants, including grasses, Calendula, Cardamine, Cirsium, Plantago, Digitalis, Fragaria, Potentilla anserina, Cornus stolonifera, Myosotis, Primula and even the poisonous (to humans) Conium maculatum. The caterpillar can be recognized by the pair of triangular black marks on each of the last two segments.