49.020 BF974  –  Tortricidae –  Tortricinae – Argyrotaenia ljungiana – Heather Tortrix – (Thunberg, 1797) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce        day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Tortricinae
Other Name/s: Heather Twist
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
ID pointers: Quite distinctive. Panels of dark brown and pale cream across the closed forewing. A rusty brown scale tuft in the basal area of the forewing. 
Distribution:  (Last record: 12 April 2025 at Hollingworth Clough )  –  Despite being a moorland species and with very few records since 1988. Of the 25 records received all are from three locations in the south east corner of the county – Sandiacre, Breaston and Long Eaton. One record from Belper. A record from the north Derbyshire moors 12/4/2025 from Hollingworth Clough. I’m sure this species is under-recorded on the heather moors of the recording area.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May /  June –  On the wing during April and May then late June. Moth Activity: Cathemeral   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Dave Evans; Christian Heintzen   © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 12-16mm
Food Plant: Bog myrtle (Myrica gale), heather (Calluna).
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Christian Heintzen
Last Recorded General Area – Hollingworth Clough

Selected Images:  Belper, Derbyshire – Dave Evans© / Hollingworth Clough 12/4/2025 – Christian Heintzen©



Distribution Map for Argyrotaenia ljungiana

Found 42 records
    ↳ 7 from After 2025
    ↳ 28 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 7 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 – Argyrotaenia ljungiana

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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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Argyrotaenia ljungiana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Argyrotaenia ljungiana
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: Argyrotaenia ljungiana
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Argyrotaenia ljungiana
AGR: 1.1%   |   Total % Change: 28.6%


CUSUM Analysis: Argyrotaenia ljungiana
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 18 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2021, 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: Argyrotaenia ljungiana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Argyrotaenia ljungiana
( 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 - Argyrotaenia ljungiana – 42 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Sandiacre GardenSK43T11/05/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Glossop, Black MoorSK09R06/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T01/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T28/04/20252adultvc57_irecords_extract
Leygatehead & Middle Moor above Little HayfieldSK08P11/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Leygatehead & Middle Moor above Little HayfieldSK08P11/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T04/04/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T01/08/20244adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T30/07/20245adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T20/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R18/07/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T17/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T11/05/20244adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandiacre GardenSK43T06/05/20244adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T03/05/20242adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T01/05/20242adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T12/04/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T30/07/20233adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T23/07/20232adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R21/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T19/05/20233adultvc57_irecords_extract
GardenSK43T07/05/20234adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R06/05/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T10/08/20222adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T31/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Long Eaton, Nottingham, UKSK43W28/07/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R27/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R19/07/20224Adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T19/07/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
SandiacreSK43T20/04/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R20/07/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R31/05/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R09/08/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R06/08/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Woodland AveSK43R07/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Long eatonSK24W21/04/20191not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Forbes Hole (meadow area),Long EatonSK43W22/07/20061Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Beeley Moor, BeeleySK26Y20/05/20021Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Acton Rd Ind Est, Long EatonSK43W25/07/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Slagmill Plantation, Beeley Moor (site not precise)SK36E09/06/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Slagmill Plantation, Beeley Moor (site not precise)SK36E31/05/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Lathkill Dale,BakewellSK16X25/05/19701Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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