35.056 BF724  –  Gelechiidae –  Anomologinae – Metzneria lappella – Burdock Seedhead Moth – (Linnaeus, 1758) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Gelechiidae  >> Anomologinae
Other Name/s: Burdock Neb
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Metzneria aestivella (Carline Seedhead Moth); Metzneria metzneriella (Knapweed Seedhead Moth)
ID pointers: Forewing is sandy brown mottled with a variety of darker markings especially towards the base. Greyish-brown veins and blackish dots at about a half and again at a two thirds, but can be absent.
Distribution:  (Last record: 10 June 2025 at Cromford )  –  Likely uncommon – recorded from scattered locations across the recording area; Sawley 1981; 1982; many bred from seeds 1983; (Harrison & Sterling); 1992-2012 6 records; 6 records 2019-2024 (iRecord); 17/7/2024 Ashford Marble Mill (DaNES) Cromford 10/6/2025
Flight Period: June /  July /  Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans; Will Soar, Clive Ashton  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 15 June 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 16-20mm
Food Plant: Greater Burdock
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Clive Ashton
Last Recorded General Area – Cromford

IMAGES BELOW:  

Belper – (2023) Dave Evans©; Kings Newton (2019) Will Soar© / Cromford (2025) Clive Ashton©

no images were found

Distribution Map for Metzneria lappella

Found 15 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 6 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 8 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 – Metzneria lappella

⚠️ Please wait for the map to load fully – do not click the link shown.


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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Metzneria lappella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Metzneria lappella
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: Metzneria lappella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Metzneria lappella
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%


CUSUM Analysis: Metzneria lappella
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 17 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 2007, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2005, 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: Metzneria lappella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Metzneria lappella
( 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 - Metzneria lappella – 15 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Metzneria lappellaupper cromford gardenSK25Y202510/06/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaAshford Marble MillSK16Z202417/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaIngleby Ave, DerbySK33L202423/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaFindern, Derbyshire, DEAZSK33A202420/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaStaveley DerbyshireSK47H202315/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaBelperSK34U202321/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaStaveley DerbyshireSK47H202213/06/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaMain Street, Kings NewtonSK32Y201917/07/20192Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A201207/07/20121Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Metzneria lappellaLathkill DaleSK16Y201004/09/20101Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Metzneria lappellaMidway, Derbys.SK32A200910/07/20091adultvc57_irecords_extract
Metzneria lappellaMidway Rd,Midway,SwadlincoteSK32A200910/07/20091Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Metzneria lappellaFar Cross,Cavendish Park,MatlockSK36A200711/06/20073Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Metzneria lappellaForemark Resr, TicknallSK32H200509/07/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Metzneria lappellaDeerlands Rd, Ashgate, ChesterfieldSK37K199210/06/19921Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top