Red List: Least Concern (LC). GB Status: Common.

Identification

Usually distinctive.

Recording Method.

Attracted to light, also comes to sugar and flowers.

Life cycle

One generation. Overwinters as a pupa. Larvae  June to October. Pupates underground.

Larval foodplants

A wide range of cultivated and wild herbaceous and woody plants including Common Nettle, willow herbs, St John’s-worts, Travellers-joy, elm and Hazel.

Habitat

Most habitats, including gardens, heathland, saltmarsh fringes and woodland.

History

Lennon (1863) stated it was common in his ‘List of Lepidoptera taken near Dumfries.’ K. J. Morton of Edinburgh (1900) whilst on a visit in July 1899 to Wigtownshire had found this species in the Monreith area. Gordon (1913) stated it was very common and generally distributed across Wigtownshire. Earliest date was 12th June 1897. Evans received specimens from Mowat, the Killantringan lighthouse keeper to aid his insect migration studies.

Sir Arthur Duncan (1909-84) during his lifetime had found it at Closeburn, Tynron and Castlehill, Dumfries (all VC72). Archibald Russell (1944) listed it as occurring near Gatehouse of Fleet (VC73) during the years 1942-43.

During 1974-92 the seven Rothamsted stations provided most of the records during that period, but for a common moth it did not appear to be common. Personal trapping had produced lots of records from Kirkton, Durisdeer and Carsfad, near Dalry from 1995 to 2010.