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. 
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 21 July 2025 by WS ***
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

IMAGES BELOW:  

Distribution Map for Cucullia absinthii

Found 34 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 33 from Before 2020

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.

******* Choose ONLY one at a time, of either Monad, Tetrad or Hectad Distribution - each has it's own set of data. Also, the distribution maps cover ALL recorded data. *******

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.

Land-cover * shows the variety of land-cover within the VC57 area, based on the CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) forty-four thematic classes of land-cover. This will show, to a greater or lesser degree, the number and variety of moths found in different land-cover types. The UK continues to operate within the Copernicus programme, with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) providing Corine Land Cover (CLC) datasets for the UK and its territories.


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 7 (July) 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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Cucullia absinthiiWoodland AveSK43R202219/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cucullia absinthiiRiver Erewash, Bridge FarmSK44R201715/09/20171not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Cucullia absinthiiWilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R200317/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiArmitage Drive, Long EatonSK53B200322/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiWilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R200317/07/20031Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiMelbourne, DerbyshireSK32X200212/08/20021adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cucullia absinthiiThe Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M200217/07/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiThe Field,Shipley,IlkestonSK44M200217/07/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiStocksmoor Farm, Ashover Rd, Old TuptonSK36S199825/07/19981Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199615/08/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199629/07/19961Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiStevens Rd, SandiacreSK43T199620/07/19962Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiLang Rd, Alvaston, DerbySK33R199230/07/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiGrassmoor (site not precise)SK46D198821/09/198825Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiWilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R198802/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiWilmot St, Sawley, Long EatonSK43R198805/08/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiDrummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R198221/07/19821Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiDrummond Rd, IlkestonSK44R198104/08/19811Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiWolds Rise, Cavendish Rd, MatlockSK36A197931/07/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiClay Cross (site not precise)SK36W197301/09/197327Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiClay CrossSK36W197318/08/19731Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiwaste gnd of Clay Cross CoSK36W197227/08/19721Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiRupert St, Pilsley, TibshelfSK46B197118/06/19711Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiWelbeck Rd, BolsoverSK47V196928/07/19691Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiThe Old Manse, Ault Hucknall, GlapwellSK46S196824/07/19681Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiBerry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C196701/08/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiBerry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C196716/07/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiBerry St, Hepthorne Lane, North WingfieldSK46C196727/07/19671Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold (waste ground), Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37R196617/09/196628Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold Rd, ChesterfieldSK37R196201/09/19621Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R195917/07/19591Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R195923/07/19591Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R195718/07/19571Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cucullia absinthiiNewbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R195629/07/19561Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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