B&F: 2315
ABH: 73.218
Status: Resident.
Distribution
and Abundance: Very local.
Primary Habitat: Woodland.
Flight Period: Single brooded
in June and July.
Record: 5 July
1986 Yardley Chase (B Statham), 28 June 2004
(J. Blincow) and 28 June 2006 (P. Horsnail).
Observations: The
1986 record was of a singleton and despite much recording
on the site was not updated until 2004 when the species
was found to be well established in a private area of the
Chase. During 2006 a further colony was discovered well
away from the Yardley colony on private land in SP66.
Historically the occurrence of this moth in
Northamptonshire has been understated in literature,
perhaps in part due to the secrecy of some of the
recorders involved. I am detailing and giving brief notes
on some of the old localities. Salcey Forest: Last
recorded in 1955. Little Billing: Some twenty eggs were
found in the crevices in the bark of an oak tree in 1950,
almost all were successfully reared to moths. Kettering
area: In 1954 several moths were taken at an m.v. light
run on a caravan site to the east of the town. There were
isolated oaks in the fields around this site. Weekley
Hall Wood: Moths were fairly common at m.v. light on the
outskirts of the wood in 1955. Geddington Chase: The
species was clearly well established in 1907 with twelve
moths being taken at sugar that year. Bedford Purlieus:
Recorded around the turn of the last century (F. A. Adams
pers. comm.). Castor Hanglands: The best known site. The
moth was recorded there at sugar and light for at least
half a century. The highest known catch at sugar was
twelve moths from some fifty sugar patches in 1924 and at
m.v. light twenty-six on a sheet in 1951. The form renago
comprised some 7% of the population and earliest and
last recorded dates for the moth were 22 June and 30
July. Most of the larger oaks were felled in 1955 and
certainly all of those trees which the old collectors
knew that there would be a specimen on their sugar patch,
if there were any to be had, were lost. The foregoing has
been summarised from unpublished material by R. E. M.
Pilcher. The moth was last seen there on 8 July 1963.
Many subsequent attempts to find the moth on the reserve
have failed. Hopefully the 2004 rediscovery is a portent
of a better future for the species in the county. It is
known to decline to very low numbers before increasing
again and there are still some very suitable unworked
sites that probably held colonies in the past.
L.O.N.: 1907.
Castle Ashby, Blatherwyck, Geddington Chase. Local but
occasionally plentiful.
First Record: 1882,
Salcey Forest, Hull & Tomalin.
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