Bug FAQLesser Yellow Underwing
Noctua comes · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Lesser yellow underwing moth
The Lesser Yellow Underwing has a wingspan of 38 to 48 mm and looks like a smaller version of the Large Yellow Underwing.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings range from pale clay to nearly black, and hindwings are orange-yellow with a wide black sub-terminal band and a central lunule.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is typically 38 to 48 mm, making it smaller than the Large Yellow Underwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species spends the winter as a larva.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are green or brown with black dorsal dashes and eat foliage of many trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Overwinters as a larva that resembles that of Noctua pronuba.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flies at night between July and September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found throughout the Palearctic region, including Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar in appearance to the Lunar Yellow Underwing (Noctua orbona) and generally has a broad-winged look.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, Washington, New York, Idaho, Montana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a problem for gardens or crops?
They feed on many plants, but the sources do not specify any serious damage to crops or gardens.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_yellow_underwing
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.