Yorkshire Status: Sporadic migrant

In the past this migrant species must have been more unusual, and it is curious to read the comments from 1989 in Sutton and Beaumont below. Porritt was just aware of one record - "On September 6th, 1885, Mr W Eagle Clarke, then of Leeds, found a specimen of this species (which he kindly presented to myself) at rest on the Kilnsea beacon , which stands at the extreme seaward edge of the sandhills at Spurn. So far as we know, this still remains the only county example". It was 1947 before the next one was found (a larva on marigold so of dubious origin), and it only started to become a regular migrant in the 1990s. Since then, it has turned up in low numbers most years, but at times we have experienced quite large influxes. These have been in 1996 (22 records), 2006 (89), 2015 (62) and 2022 (41). This must be one of the commonest species to be misrecorded by typo. In 2023 we received seven records, but six turned out to be typos for Barred Straw! This is a pest species in its normal range in southern Europe. Apart from the larva on marigold mentioned above, there have been no larval records in Yorkshire. Larvae seem to be much commoner in the south of England, though it is unlikely that it over-winters. Moths can appear at any time from March to October, but are usually seen in two waves, June/July and August/September, the second peak partly from moths from the first influx which have bred further south.

Sutton & Beaumont, 1989: This is a very erratic migrant which does not usually get as far north as Yorkshire. The only records since the last list (YNU, 1970), are from Meanwood, Leeds (VC64). The first was on 7.7.1986 by G. Boyd (confirmed J. S. Armitage). There was a second (unverifiable) record in 1987 and a third on 6.9.1988 at the same site (GB). This must suggest either a small resident population or that this species is being bred locally.

Recorded in 60 (30%) of 200 10k Squares.
First Recorded in 1885.
Last Recorded in 2024.
Additional Stats