The moth species, which are known to be rare breeders in the UK, was recently spotted at The Christopher Cadbury Wetland Reserve at Upton Warren, a site owned and managed by the Trust. Whilst there have been previous records of adult moths, this is one of the few larval sightings for the species in Worcestershire.

Eleanor Reast, the Trust’s Eastern Reserves Officer responsible for the management of the reserve, commented “Whilst it is uncertain as to whether this larva will cope with the colder, autumnal weather conditions, this is an exciting find and demonstrates how valuable spaces like nature reserves are in providing habitats for wildlife.

“A big thank you to Paul Moseley, our volunteer reserve warden at Upton Warren, who found it and let us know about it. We are also grateful for local moth experts Tony Simpson and Oliver Wadsworth for confirming the record.”