Yorkshire Status: Scarce and thinly distributed or restricted resident.

Golden Plusia first colonised Britain at the end of the 19th century following an expansion of range in northern Europe. It was first recorded in Yorkshire in 1901. Porritt says "a specimen was taken in the hotel garden at Robin Hood's Bay in 1901 by Mrs Catherine Holmes." No doubt the garden grew Delphiniums. They had been grown in gardens for some time, but became a lot more popular in the early 1900s resulting in the formation of the Delphinium Society in 1928. The next record was in the 1920s and it began to be seen more frequently. It has never been a particularly common moth in the county, but numbers have been steady until about 2015. In recent years however it seems to have become much scarcer, with just three records in 2022 and 2023, and only two in 2024. Nationally it seems to have been in decline since about 1970 and it has disappeared from many of its old haunts. It is only ever seen in small numbers, and 95% of our records are of single moths. We occasionally see moths in September, suggestive of a partial second generation. The larvae are also said to feed on larkspur, but this is not a common plant in the wild in Yorkshire, and almost all of our records are from gardens growing Delphiniums.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: First recorded in Yorkshire in 1901 (YNU, 1970 suppl.), this species became quite widespread in suburban areas but seems to have declined again slightly. Recorded quite frequently from all five vice-counties but rare away from gardens. In Meanwood, Leeds (VC64) larvae were found on Delphiniums only a year after being grown from seed, a rapid colonisation! (GB pers. comm.).

Recorded in 76 (38%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1901. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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