Morley’s Final Catalogue: One of the most frequent Suffolk Plumes, but no western record. Bentley (Harwood); bred at Ipswich in 1934 (Bp); Felixstow by Gibbs (EMM. 1904, 80); not uncommon at Aldeburgh in 1891 and Southwold in 1897 (Ctw); Lowestoft (Bd); Beccles (Crf); and Fritton, the larvas on the underside of Artemisia vulgaris leaves (Barrett).

Recent Status: Not so frequent as in Morley’s time.

Life Style: A single brooded species that flies at night and comes to light from June to August, The larvae feed on Artemisia vulgaris. They pupate on a leaf or stem.

Identification: The moth at a wing span of 19 to 23mm is pale straw coloured with an extensive peppering of dark brown scales. There is a narrow deeper straw patch just below most of the costa. There is a large mark at the cleft with narrow extensions into each cleft. There is an elongate mark on the costa beyond this and a further spot beyond. Further very small spots may be present around the apex. The dorsal cilia of the first lobe are noticeably dark. More Info
Prior to hibernation the larvae feed in a flower. The following year they feed beneath leaves. They move progressively to larger leaves and spin a tent for protection.

Recorded in 15 (26%) of 58 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1891. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

Exit Recorder