CLOSED: Moth ID please

Moth ID please

A clue, it looks like it belongs to the Genus Noctua. I have some with washed out underwings like that, took a while to realise what they were!

A google on the mothphotographersgroup only brings up Noctua pronuba and N. comes.

http://images.google.com/images?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=noctua&domains=mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu&sitesearch=mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/LatinIndex.shtml

Look in Noctuidae -- Noctuinae, Noctua comes is a possibility as that is what I think my washed out is but not sure yet! There's many that look very similar to one another! Besides that, they vary a lot within a species, with different forms, age, female is usually paler, it can be difficult!

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files/Live/JD/JDavis55.shtml

Many many to choose from. :)
(one reason why I prefer BF's ) ha!

Mine is similar to either of these:
Noctua pronuba - http://bugguide.net/node/view/135830/bgimage
Noctua comes - http://bugguide.net/node/view/42983/bgimage

But I've always seen the caterpillars from these species around in my garden So I'm pretty sure you have found the correct family and tribe....

thanks again for your help.

Noctua pronuba has paler colour down the leading edge, tha seems to be comstant although on paler moths it's difficult to tell! Another mark N. pronuba has is a black, almost triangular mark near the bottom edges, where N. comes can have a darkish patch all the way across.

N. comes is a bit smaller in general, I haven't seen a fully orange coloured underwing on it like N. pronuba has. There usually looks to be some 'looping' pattern about 1/3 way down the wings but is often only just visible. N. comes also looks in most cases to have a white ede to the lower, kidney shape and shape above where this isn't usual with N. pronuba.

The pic on the ukmoth site isn't good, but there is a pic of a caterpillar of N. comes.

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=116

Better pics here of N. comes,

N. pronuba

This site has one showing the underwing, which is orange but what else has that band, lol.

http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/NoctuComes.htm

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2699

Talking of bands, I see yours also has dark patches at the top of the under wing, which the Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthe has, and I have that too! Another which can be confused with N. janthe is Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, Noctua janthina, that is a debatable one here but I feel sure I hae that too! I don't think you have those, but does N. comes have dark patches at the top of the underwing?? Very few pics show more of the underwing! YES IT DOES! Pics of full wing spread on the following site! I guess we can assume the wing colour has worn?

Some caterpillar pics of different stages of N. comes here:

http://ukleps.org/ScientificNamesAlphabetical.html

I have a caterpillar pic which looks close to one of those stages, but I think it fits N. janthe better and I also had the moth! But I could be wrong, lol, I have both.

Here's my caterpillar pic, taken on 31st August feeding on Gladiolus, the usual larval stage is August to June.

Here's my 'version' of N.comes, although there's no black visible at the top of the underwing, by the examples given that seems to be variable and could be hidden. Pale wings though!

Another on 27th August

My caterpillar looks to be a Noctua, but the moth I had at first thought was a Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa,

http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=169

http://www.leps.it/indexjs.htm?SpeciesPages/XestiXanth.htm

So if it is then my caterpillar is probably Noctua janthe, lol. But does the Square-spot Rustic have those underwings? The lower kidney marks on mine do look closer to this though. I found a pic which shows a pale underwing but can't see any black band!

http://www2.nrm.se/en/svenska_fjarilar/x/xestia_xanthographa.html

Hmm, the plot thickens, lol, you have Xestia xanthographa too. I think I can just see some underwing with a bit of blackish colour!

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files/Live/JD/JDavis55.shtml

I came across a moth here which is an occasional migrant, it sent me on a hunt for yours again! Genus Heliothis, in Noctuidae, subfamily Helionothinae seems to have the dark streaks at the top of the underwing like yours has. I can't find an exact match, but this looks promising!

http://www.back-garden-moths.co.uk/displayspeciesinfo.php?speciesID=2400

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files/Live/BP/BPspecies/11072.shtml

http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/zeeb/butterflies/figs/moths/Noctuidae/Heliothinae/H_paradoxus.jpg

That pic was Heliocheilus paradoxus

http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/zeeb/butterflies/nocut.html#Heliothinae

I wonder if it could be a Corn Earworm Moth, Helicoverpa zea

http://bugguide.net/node/view/5718/bgimage

More pics:

http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=11068

Claypa, I believe that my moth is very similar to your link to the Corn Earworm Moth, Helicoverpa zea.

In fact, browsing through all the pictures, I see lots of pictures of these moths nectaring from the same flowers that I have in my own garden. And I see them nectaring during the day. I have a lot of these moths all over the place right now nectaring on my flowers.

Again, moths appear to be so variable, that it's hard to have an exact match. But I feel goo about this one....

Thanks to all for helping me with this one. I know this one seemed troublesome. ;)

That one looks good to me too! It is all in the learning process, LOL!