- click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
- Rare / Uncommon / Scarce 
- Day-flying
- care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely - quality photographs required. Confusion Species: Cistus Forester
ID pointers: There are two species of British Forester moth found in Derbyshire. The Cistus is the smaller of the two, and therefore more easy to identify. The upper wing is a bright emerald green, although the image below depicts a rarer “blue form”. The Forester has long narrow and less rounded forewings than Scarce Forester, which is not found in Derbyshire. The antennae of the male are blunt and thickened at the tip. The food plant is critical when identifying the two species of Forester in the county.
Distribution: (Last record: 23/06/2024 at Holloway, Matlock ) - A scarce species, and up until 2018, there were only three known colonies in Derbyshire. During period 2013 – 2018 there were 10+ individuals recorded from these three sites. In the following period 2019 – 2023, five records of nine individuals from five new sites were recorded. Four records in 2024 that have been accepted.
*** Last updated on 10 March 2025 by RP ***
Last Recorded Date: 23/06/2024
Last Recorded By: Alison Pritchard (iRecord)
Last Recorded General Area: Holloway, Matlock
No First Date Information Recorded
IMAGES BELOW: Image provided by Bill Grange © / Images provided by Peter Eley© / Markham Vale – Sid Morris©
Forester Moth -2nd June 2020 - Middleton Moor - Peter Eley
Forester Moth - 2nd June 2020 - Middleton Moor - Peter Eley