Season (Adult / Immature):
National Status: Local
Local Status: Rare and local resident.
Local Record: Grade 3 See here for explanation
Flight time: One generation, May-Jul.
Foodplant: Woody plants. Bog-myrtle, Heather, Bilberry etc.
|Year first recorded||1883||1883||1883||1883||1880|
|Year last recorded||2004||2014||2014||2013||2014|
|Number of records||8||38||43||33||6|
|Number of individuals||1||38||20||28||3|
For the county, we have a total of 128 records from 90 sites. First recorded in 1880.
Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Apparently very local, mostly on high moors and less widely recorded than in previous years. Also recorded from sites just to the north of the County in Upper Teesdale (Dunn & Parrack, 1986).
Argus 58, 2009: It is surprising that this moth of heathland and moorland has not been found previously in VC65. A record of this distinctive larva, just on the VC65 side of the 64/65 boundary was a good find.
VC65. Mossy Bottom, larva 28.8.2009 (DP). NEW VICE-COUNTY RECORD.
2012 (CHF): In Porritt's time this species was commoner and he described it as "generally common on heaths and moors" in 1883 and in 1907. It certainly seems to be a lot more local now but we still receive small numbers of records from many upland areas of the county. It also occurs on our lowland heaths with many records from Strensall but very few from Skipwith. It has not been recorded from Thorne Moors since 1967. Occasionally wandering specimens are recorded from lowland areas eg one at Spofforth on 5.6.2008.