Yorkshire Status: Scarce and very local resident.

This is predominantly a coastal species. The larva probably feed on sea beet or common sea-lavender, though this has not been firmly established. Our colony at Spurn, where the moth was first recorded in 1905, is the most northerly in the country, though a single moth was trapped further north at Catwick on 21/8/18. Numbers were highest in the early 2000s and have tailed off in recent years, with only two records in both 2020 and 2021. This current situation however is difficult to assess as there was less recording those years and an increase in records since then may have been due to more recording effort.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Spurn Point (VC61) has the most northerly British colony of this mainly salt-marsh species. It was first recorded there in 1905 (YNU, 1970) and the colony is still thriving (BRS; Sutton & Spence, 1974a).

Recorded in 3 (2%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1905.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats