General comments:
Widespread and usually common resident.
Past records suggest that the Straw Dot was an uncommon and very local moth in Hertfordshire during the late 1800s and at least the first forty years of the twentieth century. For example, Foster (1916) reports one example at Rabley Heath, near Knebworth (by Leeds) and says that 'a specimen is mentioned by Durrant in his Hitchin list' - hardly the sort of words written about a moth that is commonly encountered. Old records are available from Sandridge (pre-1884), St Albans (pre-1889), Knebworth - as mentioned above (pre-1885), Hitchin - as mentioned above (pre-1885), East Barnet and Tring only. The apparent scarcity of this species is supported by de Worms (1955), who said that is 'seems scarce in the London Area' and whose list of records did not include any in the Hertfordshire sector. An increase in population strength and an expansion of range appears to have taken place in parts of England from the late 1940s onwards, but there are no more Hertfordshire records at all until one turned up in Ian Lorimer's garden light trap at Totteridge in 1969. Between then and now it has become abundant everywhere. The number of generations per year of Straw Dot adults has been discussed in detail elsewhere (Plant, 2004).

Recorded in 37 (90%) of 41 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1936. Last Recorded in 2024. Additional Stats

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