Hantsmoths

Local on grassland, sea cliffs, sand-dunes, upland grassland, moorland and sand-dunes throughout much of Scotland, northern England and south-western England, predominantly coastal, a species of conservation concern under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The species is almost entirely coastal in southern England, but it occurs also inland from the north Midlands northward; in the southern part of the range it is always found in association with rocks, but further north it is more generally distributed, and in Scotland becomes progressively more common from south to north, abundant in Orkney and Shetland (MBGBI Vol 10). In Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight there is an established population in the Freshwater area of the Island, and a scattering of records in south-west Hampshire. Wingspan 40-56 mm. Larva feeds on Hogweed and Wild Angelica.