2287 Scarce Dagger Acronicta auricoma
([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775)Wingspan 36-42 mm.
Formerly resident in the south-east of England, it became extinct as a breeding species in the early 1900s. Since then, around a dozen immigrant examples have been found, mainly along the south and south-east coast.
It has two generations, flying in May and June, and again from mid-July to August, and occupies mainly wooded areas.
The larvae feed on a range of foodplants including oak (Quercus) and bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus).