Yorkshire Status: Fairly common and fairly widespread resident.

"Abundant, no doubt everywhere" wrote Porritt in 1883. I doubt we would describe it in such terms nowadays, as it seems to be absent from many parts of the county. The Atlas tells us that nationally its "distribution has decreased significantly in the long term". It can be found in a variety of habitats and is rather fond of urban areas, being often found in gardens, especially if they are not over-manicured. Numbers peaked in 2013 and have declined since then. The largest counts are all from gardens, the maximum being 24 at Burley-in-Wharfedale on 8/7/1994.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Widely recorded in all five vice-counties and usually regular in small numbers. This is another species which has adapted well to suburban situations and is often most frequent around towns and villages where it is attracted to flowers in gardens.

Recorded in 142 (71%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1879. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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