Smoky Wainscot
Mythimna impura
Its scientific name 'impura' refers to the smoky-grey shading on its hindwings, which distinguishes it from its cleaner-looking relative, the Common Wainscot.
- Scientific name
- Mythimna impura
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Noctuidae › Mythimna
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Damp grasslands, fens, marshes, dune slacks, and woodland rides.
- Diet
- Caterpillars feed on various grasses including Cock's-foot, Common Reed, and Sedges; adults feed on flower nectar.
- Range
- Europe, Temperate Asia, North Africa
- Size
- Wingspan of 31-38 mm
- Lifespan
- 1 year (egg to adult, with adults living 2-3 weeks)
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to wetland drainage, intensive agricultural mowing, and disruption from artificial light pollution.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless and safe to observe. If one enters your home, gently cup it with a glass and a piece of paper to release it outside near tall grasses. They are highly attracted to artificial lights at night.
Mythimna impura , the smoky wainscot , is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1808. It is distributed throughout most of the Palearctic realm from Ireland in the west of Europe east to the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, Kazakhstan, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, then Japan. In Europe it is found from the Arctic Circle to Spain and Italy (including Sicily) in the south, as well as in the northern regions of...
Photo: Björn S..., CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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