Lyme Grass Longalatedes elymi
Lyme Grass Longalatedes elymi
Adult • Southwold, Suffolk • © Stuart Read

73.138 BF2348

Lyme Grass Longalatedes elymi

(Treitschke, 1825)

[Synonyms: Photedes elymi]
Wingspan c.36 mm

The Lyme Grass is a local and scarce species, restricted to coastal sandhill habitats on the East Coast, from Suffolk northwards into eastern Scotland, as well as one locality on the south coast, in East Sussex.

The adult moths are on the wing from June until August, and are readily attracted to light.

The moth's vernacular name derives from the foodplant, lyme-grass (Elymus arenarius), in which the larvae feed inside the stems, usually below the surface of the sand.
back to top