Yorkshire Status: Local resident.

1n 1904 Porritt wrote that this species had "become quite abundant in recent years" and could be found "on moors or in exposed woods having and undergrowth of bilberry". It is a rather local species in Yorkshire but may be more common on good quality moorland than records suggest. The larvae feed on a variety of moorland plants including heather, bilberry and cowberry, so managing grouse moorland just for heather might not be in its best interests. In some years we have received no records at all, but in years where there has been trapping in suitable habitat, healthy numbers have been recorded, with some particularly impressive counts recently on Keighley Moor, the maximum being an amazing 73 to actinic light on 11/8/2020. Unlike many upland moths, it only appears very rarely on our lowland heaths. There are old records from Thorne Moors and Askham Bog, and three records from Haxby could have been wanderers from Strensall. Occasional wandering moths are seen elsewhere, possibly as migrants.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Probably quite frequent on higher moorland, there are also occasional wanderers to quite atypical habitats such as Rudston (VC61) and Leeds (VC64). There is no VC65 record but it should be present in the west of that vice-county.

	Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.

Recorded in 53 (27%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1844.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats