In 1883 Porritt wrote "not uncommon in the eastern division of the county, but a specimen which I have in my cabinet, which I took from a gas lamp in Huddersfield, is the only record of its occurrence in the south West Riding". Since then, like many reed-feeding species, it seems to have increased in numbers and in range, and is now seen all over the county except for some upland areas. Whilst the biggest numbers appear amongst reeds, it does have a tendency to wander and is not uncommon in gardens. Most of these wanderers are said to be females. It seems to be doing well in Yorkshire though numbers seem to fluctuate a lot from year to year. The largest numbers have come from Spurn, for example 91 on 11/10/1971. It is said to like the drier parts of reed beds. The main confusion species is said to be Bulrush Wainscot, though one pitfall is that Large Wainscot is very variable in size and at some sites, small forms commonly occur (usually males). These can be confused with several other Wainscots and can fool the unwary, though the late flight time is a good pointer towards Large Wainscot.
Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Sparsely recorded across the County but does not often appear to be common. Wanderers are sometimes found well away from common reed, on which the larva feeds.
Recorded in 116 (58%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1879. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats
This site requires necessary cookies to function correctly. We'd also like to set Google analytics cookies that help us make improvements by measuring how you use the site. These will be set only if you accept all cookies.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this will affect how the website functions.
Cookies Policy