Euro 2016 moths take wing from Paris and head to Britain

Thousands of Silver Y moths, like those that pestered Ronaldo during the Euro 2016 final, headed for UK shores

Adam Vaughan

Wednesday 13 July 201623.55 BSTLast modified on Thursday 14 July 201608.52 BST

Last seen swarming the Stade de France in Paris, the moths that flapped around the injured Cristiano Ronaldo during the Euro 2016 final are on their way to Britain.

Thousands of the Silver Y moths – Autographa gamma – are winging their way from the continent to Britain, and while they will not match the many millions that swarmed as far north as Shetland in 1996, experts are predicting a strong year. “It’s looking like it’s going to be an above average year, providing the conditions are right and there’s a southerly wind,” said Zoe Randle, a surveys officer at the charity Butterfly Conservation.

The species is relatively unremarkable to look at, no threat to woolly jumpers and no serious risk to crops as its caterpillars eat a variety of plants, but it does make an incredible migratory journey.

A study by Rothamsted Research using radar found that the 2cm-long moths use winds to blast across the sea at speeds of up to 60mph, or as much as six times faster than their own flight speed. They select the altitude where the wind speeds are fastest – 200-1,000 metres above ground – and can travel up to 250 miles in one night.

“It’s cool that something so small can travel such long distances at such great speeds. It’s pretty remarkable,” said Randle.

The species, which takes its name from the silver Y-shapes on its wings, is among the top 20 being counted in the Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science survey which starts across the UK tomorrow.

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Very unusual colouration of a Silver Y moth

Melanistic moth puzzle
January 2013. The Silver Y moth is common in the UK, and is a well-known moth (at least in mothing circles.). They are mostly a mix of light brown and grey with a distinctive silver-coloured Y shaped mark in the middle of each wing.

However Beryl Ladd has sent us an image of a very unusual specimen, which appears to be mostly dark blue! Beryl has been told that it is dark blue because it was produced in cold conditions and thus needs a dark colouring to absorb the sun. Wildlife Extra has no idea if that is true or not.


Industrial melanismThere is a well-known, and very interesting, phenomenon called industrial melanism, first noticed in peppered moths. Peppered moths used to be mostly white with flecks of grey, but during the industrial revolution it was noticed that some peppered moths had become much darker, and in some cases nearly black. This was attributed to the moths blending in with the soot covered trees they found in their habitat. More recently, they have become much whiter again as the soot has disappeared.


Please let us know if you have an explanation for this colouring.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/silver-y-blue.html

A dark blue Silver Y moth, photographed by Beryl Ladd.




A 'NORMAL' SILVER Y MOTH - COURTESY OF BERYL LADD