Yorkshire Status: Rare wanderer; probably future coloniser.

This has always been a species of the south of England, but since the 1990s has been moving north. The 1955 record documented below in Sutton and Beaumont is curious, and is a long way to the north of any other records at that time. The next record was at Easington (Spurn) on 18/4/2016 and what was probably the same moth was trapped two nights later, but it was not seen again until 2023 when moths were recorded at Wykeham Causeway in VC62 and Rossington in VC63. We are likely to see more records in future years. Like Chestnut and Dark Chestnut, this is a species that over-winters as an adult, but unlike those two species, it is far more likely to be encountered in spring.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: This species has not previously been included in a Yorkshire list although there is a confirmed record from Whirlow in Sheffield (VC63) in 1955 (Garland, 1979; SPG pers. comm.). The specimen was taken by W. Reid and apparently was exhibited at several collectors meetings so the record should be reliable. Perhaps confusion over the exact site, which is near the VC57 boundary has caused it to be omitted in the past. It is a rather unusual record since this species is rarely found outside southern central and south-west England.

Recorded in 4 (2%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1955.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats