Autographa bractea (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)

Host plants:
The caterpillar lives polyphagous in the herb layer. I found a young caterpillar on the west Austrian Kanisfluh on Urtica dioica (nettle) in a small moist forb community in an otherwise dry pasture in 1500m asl in early October 2009.

Habitat:
Autographa bractea inhabits forb communities, forest edges, clearcuts, ditches and other little mown habitats. It is more widespread in the mountains and rare in the lowlands.

Life cycle:
The half-grown caterpillar overwinters and is mature in May or June. The moths fly from mid-June to September. At lower altitudes, there is probably a partial second generation in late August and in September.

Endangerment factors:
Autographa bractea is endangered only little.

Remarks:
The distribution extends mostly from Central and Northern Europe to Central Asia. In Central Europe Autographa bractea occurs more in the mountains. To the south it hardly extends beyond the Alps. To the southeast it reaches Bulgaria. There is also an isolated population group in the Pyrenees.