Why, Why, a Silver Y!

 7th December

Caerleon

A casual walk around Caerleon in the chilly fresh air on Monday 7th brought an very unexpected surprise for me, a adult Silver Y. I was not really looking for any moths but my eye got drawn down to a anomaly above a pile of leaves at a front of a house.

I haven't checked my records but I can't recall seeing one in December. It certainly proves that the moth arrives here in the U.K. much earlier in the year and manages to breed successfully in several generations. Could this be a third generation perhaps that is trying to get through the usual harsher winters here compared to the continent, and emerge as early generation next year. Statistics say it's very unlikely to make it, but given this year's temperature mean (average) is running exceptionally high it may have a small chance if it stays damp and mild with little frosts through the months of January and February 2021.