General comments:
Widespread but declining resident.


Foster (1937) remarks that the Magpie Moth was 'Common everywhere'. It was especially abundant in 1959 and Bell (1961) describes it as being '-.. in amazing mid-summer profusion in the lanes of north-west Hertfordshire in that gloriously sunny summer'. Almost every garden and allotment was plagued with the larvae of this attractive moth in the early 1950s and it was regarded as a considerable pest. By the late 1980s, however, it had become scarce; by the early 1990s it was regarded as a 'nice' moth to catch. The reason for the drastic decline is probably the decline in the practice of fruit growing in domestic gardens - coinciding with the rise of a 'supermarket culture' from the 1960s onwards. However, in the early 2000s it appears to have shown some signs of an increase again, but this was short-lived. It is highly probable that planting of fruit bushes in gardens, and managing these without use of pesticides, could encourage an upwards swing in population of this species.

Recorded in 34 (83%) of 41 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1887. Last Recorded in 2023. Additional Stats

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