73.050 BF2211  –  Noctuidae –  Cucullinae – Cucullia absinthii – The Wormwood – (Linnaeus, 1761) Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Cucullinae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: A distinctive feature is the collar that is raised to a “Punk-Like” projection over the head. The fawn-grey ground colour has obvious dark blackish-grey forewing markings. There are black spots in the kidney-mark.
Distribution:  (Last record: July 2022 at Breaston )  –  Last recorded 2022 – A resident that was once fairly common in the 1960’s and it is now very scarce to rare and very locally distributed in Derbyshire. Very few records in recent years. This specimen was trapped in my garden in 2002. Latest reports 15th September 2017 from Long Eaton and of one trapped in a Breaston garden, July 2022. This species is noted for its habit of avoiding Moth Traps. 
General Comment: None
Flight Period: July /  August –  On the wing July – August – one generation Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison, Steve Thorpe  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 32-40mm
Forewing: 16-19mm
Food Plant: Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium), Mugwort (A. vulgaris).
Last Recorded Year: July 2022
Last Recorded By – Steve Thorpe
Last Recorded General Area – Breaston

Selected Images:  



Distribution Map for Cucullia absinthii

Found 34 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 33 from Before 2020
Flying
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

If the Map Layers function fails, just refresh the page and it should be OK after. Use the +- zoom on the top left, or on a tablet, use two fingers to zoom. Remember, the last layer you ticked is the one which displays the popup information - they sit on top of each other - de-select then re-select, to see the popup values.

Bedrock Geology ** indirectly affects moth distribution by influencing the type of habitat and food plants available in an area. In turn, this may affect the types of moths that can thrive, or where they can most likely be found.


NBN Atlas UK Distribution for – Cucullia absinthii

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Note – the NBN Atlas datasets are listed in the map below and vary in their currency (uptodateness) – however, the map does give a general indication of the moth's distribution across the UK.

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Monthly Records By Year: Cucullia absinthii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Cucullia absinthii
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only. )


First/Last Recorded Dates: Cucullia absinthii
Adult-only & Anything [Larvae, Pupae, Adult, Mines]

Shading shows moth presence between dates

Click the colour discs below to Select/De-select as Required

Recordings By Year: Cucullia absinthii
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Cucullia absinthii
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Cucullia absinthii
About this chart: CUSUM (Cumulative Sum) charts track long-term trends in moth populations [ filtered by 'Adult' and 'Mine' life stages ] by showing whether each year’s counts are above or below the historical average. Even small shifts build up over time, making trends of growth, stability, or decline easier to see. CUSUM highlights trend-consistency — asking: “Across the years, have moth counts mostly stayed above or below average?”
The data sample has 23 gap year/s here (zero records) between 2000 and 2025. The moth may have been present in those gap years, but no data was available. Too many year-gaps may exaggerate or skew the chart.

Counts for the current year (2025) are pro-rated based on data available up to month 10 (October) to provide a full-year equivalent.

Purple line rises = years better than average; falls = years worse than average.
Peak (best year) Trough (worst year) Growth periods Decline periods
Population peaked around 2002, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2002, showing a significant decline.

What the Y-axis "Cumulative Deviation" means: Cumulative Deviation shows the running total of how each year’s moth population count differs from the long-term average. i

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Cucullia absinthii
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Cucullia absinthii
( data includes Adult Stage only )

Flight Period chart – the grey hatched area above, which can cross one or more months, pictorially represents the best guess we have for this moth's flight periods [month/s]. The coloured lines represent the actual months seen in flight, from site observation records received between 2020-2025.

Records Behind the Map and Charts - Cucullia absinthii – 34 records available

Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Woodland AveSK43R19/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
River Erewash, Bridge FarmSK44R15/09/20171not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Armitage Drive, Long EatonSK53B22/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R17/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R17/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Melbourne, DerbyshireSK32X12/08/20021adultvc57_irecords_extract
The Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M17/07/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M17/07/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stocksmoor Farm, Ashover Rd, Old TuptonSK36S25/07/19981Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T15/08/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T29/07/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Stevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T20/07/19962Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Lang Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33R30/07/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Grassmoor (site not precise)SK46D21/09/198825Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Wilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R05/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R02/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Drummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R21/07/19821Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Drummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R04/08/19811Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Wolds Rise, Cavendish Rd, MatlockSK36A31/07/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Clay Cross (site not precise)SK36W01/09/197327Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Clay CrossSK36W18/08/19731Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
waste gnd of Clay Cross CoSK36W27/08/19721Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Rupert St, Pilsley, TibshelfSK46B18/06/19711Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Welbeck Rd, BolsoverSK47V28/07/19691Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
The Old Manse, Ault Hucknall, GlapwellSK46S24/07/19681Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Berry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C01/08/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Berry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C27/07/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Berry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C16/07/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold (waste ground), Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37R17/09/196628Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Rd, ChesterfieldSK37R01/09/19621Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R23/07/19591Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R17/07/19591Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R18/07/19571Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R29/07/19561Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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