Yorkshire Status: Sporadic migrant.

The first Yorkshire record was in 1903 and is recounted by Porritt "this grand addition to our list was made by Mr Thomas Fieldhouse who took no less then eight specimens near Keighley on the night of September 22nd 1903. Mr Fieldhouse was searching for Scotosia dubitata [ie Tissue] with his lamp, when his attention was attracted by a small noctua flying at the light, and eight specimens were secured, which proved to be of this rarity. Mr Fieldhouse kindly sent me three of them for examination". Quite why he was searching for Tissue in September is a mystery and sounds like an error, and eight Small Mottled Willows sounds excessive, but there appears to have been a mass migration in 1903 so it is all quite possible, and at least, Porritt saw three of them.

This migrant is rather irregular. It can be absent one year and appear in good numbers the next. The best years have been 2006 (70 records) and 2015 (28). 93% have been of single moths. It is a quite distinctive moth with narrow forewings tucked around the body and a pinkish or orange colouration in the reniform and orbicular stigmata. We tend to be a little wary of claims of this species as a surprising number turn out to be typos for Pale Mottled Willow. It is a common moth in countries to our south and can be an agricultural pest. Sometimes it is imported with vegetables and if someone finds a moth inside a green pepper from Tescos, chances are that it is this species.


Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: A migrant to Britain, this moth has an almost worldwide range. There have been a few recent Yorkshire records.

Recorded in 48 (24%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1903. Last Recorded in 2022. Additional Stats

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