Distribution and Abundance: Common.

Primary Habitat: Grassland.

Flight Period: Single brooded from May to July.

Observations: Light trap records from a Wellingborough garden in 1951 show 391 examples of the moth taken from 20 May 1951 to 5 September 1951 with moths at their most common in June and July. The number of moths taken here is greatly in excess of numbers seen anywhere currently, possibly due to greater emphasis on the removal of the main foodplant Common Ragwort. In 2002 thirteen moths were taken at the Pitsford Reservoir light traps. An example of the rare all black form ab. negrana was taken in an m.v. light trap at Ashton, this moth was placed in the Natural History Museum in London.

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

First Record: 1842, Clark.