Yorkshire Status: Common and widespread resident.

In 1883, Porritt described Knot Grass as "abundant everywhere". That might be considered a bit of an exaggeration nowadays, though as Sutton and Beaumont suggests below, we now rely so much on moth traps that we can underestimate the abundance of some species. 92% of records of Knot Grass are of just one or two moths, so perhaps it does not come readily to light. We certainly receive a lot of records of the distinctive larva on a wide variety of plants. This is a widespread moth across the county, especially in upland areas in the west and the north-east. Numbers have increased substantially over the last few years. It has two broods to the south of us and until recently there has been little evidence of this happening in Yorkshire, however in the last few years we have had more records of late moths in September and October. It can sometimes lead to identification problems for the unwary, but the little white marks near the trailing corner of the forewings are characteristic.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Probably widespread and frequent in all five vice-counties. However, this is a species which comes to sugar more readily than light and records are rather few in VC61 and VC65. Only reported as common at Harmby, VC65 (FBS) and Sheffield, VC63, where Garland (1979) states it to be abundant in gardens.

Recorded in 158 (79%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1879. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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