Status
..... This is an extremely rare moth in Nottinghamshire
and a species which has also declined nationally over recent years.
However, it does seem to be holding on to it's status as a breeding
species in VC56. All of the county's recent records had
come from the Sutton-on-Trent, Besthorpe and Collingham
areas north of Newark, after larval webs were recorded for
the first time in over 60 years in 2002, 2003, 2004 and again in 2007. It then went 'missing' for over 15 years, before larval webs were found
at Sutton-on-Trent once more in 2020, 2021 and 2023, but not in 2024,
despite being surveyed for.
A larval web was found at Kirton in June 2024
(Wilson, S.), which was a new
site for the moth in the Nottinghamshire and then the same observer
found another larval web at Kersall in May 2025
(Wilson, S.), again, another new site
and away from the known Trent Valley locations. Targetted surveying over
several weeks, produced records of 40 larval webs, most on roadside hedgerows in the Kneesall,
Kersall, Norwell Woodhouse, Kirton, Caunton, Ossington, Maplebeck,
Tuxford, Milton, Eakring Meadows, South Carlton, Grove, Hawton,
Carlton-on-Trent and other areas in May 2025, but it was not present at
Sutton-on-Trent. Has this moth recently spread into these areas of Nottinghamshire, or has it remained undetected across
farmland areas for many years? |
