General comments:
Ubiquitous resident and immigrant.

Early-season immigrants usually lay eggs and there is a generation of adults produced in July/August that is boosted by fresh immigration from September to November. We have no evidence to suggest that any Silver Y moths ever survive our winter ... yet and each new year depends upon a fresh batch of immigrants arriving. Bell (1972) referred to 1971 as being 'the year of the Silver Y' to moth-ers or the year of the 'Small Tortoiseshell' to butterfly enthusiasts. Clearly both were abundant that year; given that the larvae of both species feed on the same plants it is probable that this was a good year for home bred moths rather than immigration, a habit for which the butterfly is not particularly noted.

Recorded in 40 (98%) of 41 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1887. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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