Yorkshire Status: Common and fairly widespread resident.
"Generally distributed and abundant, no doubt everywhere" said Porritt in 1883. This is probably true today and numbers seem to be stable across the county. It is commonest in wooded areas but will wander into gardens. The larvae feed on a variety of trees. In good woodland habitat counts can be quite high, for example 62 at Newtondale on 27/5/2016.
Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Often common in wooded areas and the larvae are sometimes conspicuous in privet hedges in city areas (SLS pers. comm.). Most widely recorded from vice-counties 62-64 but also less commonly in VC61 and VC65. Melanic specimens (ab. nigra (Prout) are frequent, but the proportion of these has decreased noticeably in the south of VC63 in recent years. Recorded in 160 (80%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1879. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats |