Although this is now the commonest of our lutestrings, Robson had only [two] sites: [...] Hedworth met with it abundantly at Thornley Woods and Maddison took it around Durham City. Since then a long list of records shows that it is widely distributed over most of Durham [...] wherever mature birch trees grow, these being the preferred pabulum of the caterpillars, although oak, alder and other trees may sometimes be used. [...] In Durham it is well represented in the woodlands of the Derwent valley, Wear and Tees, where it is found as far west as Westgate in Weardale and Middleton in Teesdale. It has not as yet been reported from any of the coastal denes or any of the magnesian limestone sites. Melanic forms of the moth often predominate in the lowland eastern sites.