Identification

The forewing has a roughly square yellowish-white blotch at the tip with further white blotches in the central area and along the trailing edge.

Recording Method.

Attracted to light, also comes to flowers.

Life cycle

One generation. Overwinters as a pupa. Larvae are present July to August.

Larval foodplants

The ripening seed-pods of Bladder Campion, Rock Sea-spurrey and Sea Campion.

Habitat

Open coastal ground, occasionally in gardens.

History

Lennon (1863) had stated that it was not common, but that it had occurred near Terregles (VC72). Buchanan White of Perth (1895) listed it as occurring in Colvend and Southwick parishes (VC73). In 1909 Henderson, the lighthouse keeper at Mull of Galloway forwarded a specimen on to Miss D. J. Jackson. Gordon (1913) had found the larvae not uncommon in the seed heads of Silene maritima on the beach below Alticry, Luce Bay, Wigtownshire on 13th July 1906.

William Evans received three female specimens from Mowat, the Killantringan lighthouse keeper during 1914-15 to aid his insect migration studies, one of those from 18th August 1914 being our only August record, otherwise 27th July is the latest date.

It was 1982 before it was heard of again, with three records in 1982 from the Rothamsted station at Waterside Mains near Keir. Another five years lapsed until Bernard Skinner located it at Garheugh Port.

From 1994-98 it was trapped annually in small numbers at Kirkton (VC72) and nearly annual at Auchencairn from 2002-10. The other fifteen records during the 1990s to 2010 were from mainly coastal sites with a few inland.