Yorkshire Status: Common and widespread resident.

Porritt described Mottled Umber as "abundant everywhere" in 1907 and this is probably still true. Its name defoliaria refers to the larvae which in some years can occur in large numbers and defoliate their food plants. Larvae are commonly encountered and are easy to identify. It is mainly a woodland moth but can be found in many other habitats and is not uncommon in gardens. The flightless female is less often encountered. Males can be very variable in appearance and in good habitat can appear in large numbers for example 172 at Ellington Banks on 11/11/2004. It has a longer flight period than Scarce Umber and can be on the wing from the end of September until early in the New Year.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: There are scattered records from all five vice-counties for this species and it is generally frequent or common.

Recorded in 134 (67%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1805.
Last Recorded in 2024.
Additional Stats