Yorkshire Status: Sporadic migrant

Like Bordered Straw, this species used to be much less common. Porritt only knew of two records "a fine female example was taken at Scarborough by Mr W Simmons in 1866" and "Mr H Sims shewed me one he took at Haw Park, Wakefield in October 1871" The next did not turn up until 1985, but since then it has been regular. The last year with no records at all was 2008. Sometimes large influxes occur, the most dramatic being in 2006 when there were an astonishing 268 records of 425 moths. For a moth usually taken in singles, there were some highly unusual counts, for example 18 at Skelton-in-Cleveland on 31st August and ten at Lofthouse at the top of Nidderdale on 23rd September. There have been other smaller influxes since then - 30 records in 2017, 45 in 2022 and 35 in 2023. Wild larvae have not been seen in Yorkshire, and further south are much less common than Bordered Straw larvae. Unlike Bordered Straw, early influxes in June and early July are uncommon, and moths usually seem to be primary migrants arriving between August and October. Globally this is a very widespread species and considered a pest in many parts of the world.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: Several of these rare immigrants were caught in 1985, previously not recorded since Porritt (1883-86).

Recorded in 70 (35%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1866.
Last Recorded in 2023.
Additional Stats