Yorkshire Status: Rare and very local resident.

This species has a curious history in the county as over the years it can't quite decide if it is resident or not. It is mostly a moth of calcareous areas in the south and east of England, but it was known to Porritt. "Not common" he pronounced in 1883 and listed records from Sheffield and York. In 1904 he added "Thorne near Goole in 1994. I have seen the specimens". It then seemed to disappear but reappeared on the Wolds from 1962 to 1984. It subsequently appeared at Spurn in 1993, 1999 and 2001 and disappeared again. In 2018 it made another attempt to colonise with a series of records at Austerfield in the very south-east of the county with good numbers in the next few years implying a healthy colony. In 2022 it turned up at Wharram Quarry, close to its old haunts. Had it been there all along? There were some records from Spurn in 2023 but these could not be confirmed. It is not too difficult to recognise, as fresh moths show a marked contrast between the darker outer areas of the forewing and the paler inner areas. The costa is straight, the wings are narrow and the discal spot, if present, is very small. If you are feeling lucky, examining knapweed flowers for the larvae is a sensible thing to do. What will be the next part of the saga. It should be interesting.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: A few additional localities have been found in the Wolds for this rare species.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 10 (5%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1883. Last Recorded in 2022. Additional Stats

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