73.124 BF2362  –  Noctuidae –  Xyleninae – Hydraecia petasitis – The Butterbur – Doubleday, 1847 Adult Macro:  CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Can be confused with other species       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Green –  Rare / Uncommon / Scarce   
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Xyleninae
** Photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Rosy Rustic
ID pointers: Similar to Rosy Rustic but slightly bigger. Broad dark central band on pointed forewing, but brown rather than pinkish as in Rosy Rustic.
Distribution:  (Last record: 26 March 2003 at Etherow CP )  –  An uncommon species and locally distributed in Derbyshire. Likely to be found wherever the food plant has been long established. The adult insect rarely comes too light.
Flight Period: August /  September /  –  On the wing August – September Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – and is attracted to light Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 21 July 2025 by WS ***
Wingspan: 44-50mm
Forewing: 19-23mm
Food Plant: Roots of Butterbur (Petasites hybridus).
Last Recorded By – Dave Higginson-Tranter
Last Recorded General Area – Etherow CP

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Distribution Map for Hydraecia petasitis

Found 18 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 18 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 – Hydraecia petasitis

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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: Hydraecia petasitis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Hydraecia petasitis
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: Hydraecia petasitis
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Hydraecia petasitis
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Hydraecia petasitis
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025
Hydraecia petasitis
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Hydraecia petasitis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Hydraecia petasitis
( 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 - Hydraecia petasitis – 18 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Hydraecia petasitisParkway, New MillsSK08D199529/08/19951Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisParkway, New MillsSK08D199010/09/19901Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisParkway, New MillsSK08D199009/09/19901Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisMeadow Rise, Simmondley, GlossopSK09B198817/09/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisMeadow Rise, Simmondley, GlossopSK09B198821/09/19881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisBarlow Brook, Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37M197205/07/197220Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisBarlow Brook, Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37M197205/07/197220Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisBarlow, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37M197120/06/19711Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisBarlow, Chesterfield (site not precise)SK37M197120/06/19711Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitison Abtw Dronfield & UnstoneSK37T196814/06/196830Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisBarlow Lees, DronfieldSK37N196820/06/19681Larvaevc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisCalver (New Bridge)SK27M195008/09/19502Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisCalver (site not precise)SK27M194906/09/19495Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisCalver (site not precise)SK27M194906/09/19495Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisLittle Eaton (site not precise)SK34Q190501/01/19051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisLittle Eaton (site not precise)SK34Q190001/01/19001Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisNewton Solney (site not precise)SK22S188801/01/18881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hydraecia petasitisNewton Solney (site not precise)SK22S188801/01/18881Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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