49.284 BF1186  –  Tortricidae –  Olethreutinae – Epiblema sticticana – Colt's-foot Root-borer – (Fabricius, 1794) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Olethreutinae
Other Name/s: Colt’s-foot Bell, farfarae
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  E. scutulana
ID pointers: Rather difficult to distinguish from the closely related E. scutulana and E. cirsiana, this species is however generally lighter and browner. The forewing is heavily suffused with yellowish-brown or yellowish-grey. A large creamy white dorsal blotch.
Distribution:  (Last record: 16 July 2025 at Buxton )  –  On current data this species appears to be rare in the county. Since 1979 only 6 records to 2025.
Flight Period: May /  June /  –  On the wing during May-June. Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Will Soar  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 8 September 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 15-20mm
Food Plant: Colt’s-foot.
Last Recorded Year: 2025
Last Recorded By – Jon Mortin
Last Recorded General Area – Buxton

IMAGES BELOW:  Willington GP, Derbyshire – Will Soar© 1/06/2008

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Distribution Map for Epiblema sticticana

Found 9 records
    ↳ 1 from After 2025
    ↳ 1 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 7 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 – Epiblema sticticana

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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: Epiblema sticticana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


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


CUSUM Analysis: Epiblema sticticana
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 19 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2023, 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: Epiblema sticticana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Epiblema sticticana
( 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 - Epiblema sticticana – 9 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Epiblema sticticanaFern Road (old garden), BuxtonSK07R202516/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaLightwoodSK07M202316/06/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaDerbyshire, UKSK07M201728/05/20171Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaMam TorSK18G201529/06/20151adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaLightwoodSK07M201327/07/20131adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaWillington GPsSK22Y200801/06/20081Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Epiblema sticticanaCramside Wood (DWT reserve)SK17R200720/06/20071Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Epiblema sticticanaActon Rd Ind Est, Long EatonSK43W199523/06/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Epiblema sticticanaCarvers Rocks NR,Hartshorne,SwadlincoteSK32G197907/06/19791Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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