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. Until 2024, the best year was 2006 with 70 records. 93% have been of single moths. In 2024 it all changed with a quite astonishing influx on the night of the 7th September. Here is the extract from the annual report in full:

It is difficult to get the 2024 Small Mottled Willow influx into context, as this was a “once in a lifetime” event. It is a rather sporadic migrant which in some years such as 2021 and 2023 fails to turn up at all. There have been previous influxes; in 2006 there were 70 records of 79 moths, and in 2015, 27 records of 27 moths, so this is a species that arrives in small numbers, even in a good year. Scattered moths were reported in August and early September, with more records of ones and twos on 6th September. On 7th September, an astonishing 228 turned up at a site in Scarborough – far more than had ever been seen in the county in the previous 150 years. This was accompanied by 70 at Guisborough and 63 at Hunmanby Gap. Moths appeared at many other sites, mostly in northern and eastern areas, but in much smaller numbers, and even at Spurn the maximum count was six. This was a localised arrival to a small part of coastal Yorkshire, akin to a “fall” of migrant birds making landfall on a misty night. The following night the maximum number recorded was ten at a different site at Hunmanby Gap, and records slowly declined, with the last moth being seen at Scarborough on 29th September. In total, we received 105 records of 607 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 63 (32%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1903. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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