Clouded Magpie

This moth's larvae feed on elms, especially wych elm.  Dutch Elm Disease ought to have caused the moth to decline, but the records show little sign of this.  The distribution is strongly biased towards the harder limestone rocks of the Mendips and the hills around Bristol and Bath, where wych elm is often common in the ravines in the hills.  South of the Mendips the moth is rarely recorded and sporadic, though records in and around Porlock and Great Breach Wood in particular suggest that local populations do exist.