Yorkshire Status: Very rare and very local resident.

This rare species depends on stands of native juniper. It was probably unknown to Porritt. He included it in his initial list but subsequently said this was erroneous, and the consensus is that he was referring to a different species. The first definite county record was at Levisham on 28/7/1990, and this remains the only record from VC62, but there is a possibility that it was recorded earlier than this in Upper Teesdale. An old BRC record card is labelled "pre-1940" and says that it was compiled by Harry Eales from an unknown publication. There are large stands of juniper in Upper Teesdale and it is highly likely that it is still hiding there. It has been found in recent years amongst two other large stands of native juniper - at Moughton near Ingleborough and at Low Whita in Swaledale. Terry Whitaker has found it in good numbers, particularly at Moughton where he trapped an amazing 49 on 19/7/2021. This of course is another reason to jealously guard our junipers which are under threat from the fungal disease Phytophthora austrocedrae. It used to be a lot more common, and the on-line plant atlas says "Burning has largely eliminated it from grouse moorlands in northern England and Scotland, and the scrub communities in which it regenerates elsewhere have declined severely due to grazing, burning, succession to woodland and afforestation". We receive quite a few records of this from other areas but all have been misidentifications. You're not going to get this on your garden junipers like Juniper Carpet.

Recorded in 5 (3%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1880. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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