B&F: 1807

ABH: 70.137

Status: Resident.

Distribution and Abundance: Local.

Primary Habitat: Grassland.

Flight Period: Single brooded from May into July.

Localities: Old Pastures, Boddington Meadow, Barford Meadows, Sudborough Meadow and Helpston.

Observations: The food plant of the species is yellow-rattle and in my experience the moth does not always occur even where the plant is plentiful. Chris Colles noted in 2017 that on 12th May the Yellow Rattle was not in flower, and there were no moths present on Boddington Meadow, but a week later (18th), with the flower in full bloom, the moth was abundant (100+). All of my attempts to find it in the 1980’s amongst the plant at Castor Hanglands were unsuccessful; whereas at the same time the moth was fairly common flying by day on the old quarried land at the edge of Weekley Hall Wood where the yellow-rattle was always less plentiful than at the Hanglands. In more recent years the species seems to have become less common and has not been seen in some of its old localities.

L.O.N.: 1907. Barnwell Wold, Geddington Chase. Common locally.

First Record: 1881, Porritt