Key to Text Moths of Northamptonshire

Key to Map
  Puss Moth Cerura vinula  
         
  Status: Resident.

Distribution and Abundance: Fairly common.

Primary Habitat: General occurrence.

Flight Period: Single brooded in May and June.

Observations: Although not strongly attracted to light recent records suggest that this moth is becoming less common. I have seen it in three of the last ten years whereas formerly it was an annual feature of my own field records covering recording within the county. Certainly early 1950’s garden light trap records from Wellingborough of seven in 1951 and nine in 1952 do not seem to be achieved nowadays. In these years all of the moths recorded were males; females were always rare at this light only forming 4% of the species catch overall. Data from the Pitsford Reservoir light traps show that in the five years from 1999 to 2003 a total of five moths were seen and that the species was unrecorded in two of the years.

L.O.N.: 1907. Many localities. Common.

First Record: 1882, Hull & Tomalin.