73.124 BF2362 – The Butterbur – Hydraecia petasitis – Doubleday, 1847
Adult Macro: CAT 2 – Can be confused with other species – Good photographs may be required – 
– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines
– Rare / Uncommon / Scarce
** Photograph required
**
– 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.
General Comment: None *** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Forewing: 19-23mm
Last Recorded By – Dave Higginson-Tranter
Last Recorded General Area – Etherow CP
Selected Images: No images
Image Gallery
No gallery images found for this moth.
Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1949 - 1995) | Immatures: (between 1968 - 1972)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)
This chart summarises all available historical occurrence records collated by ISO week of the year. It reflects recorder effort and sampling distribution as well as true biological activity, and should be interpreted as an indicative pattern of seasonal occurrence rather than a statistically controlled abundance or phenology model.
Distribution Map for Hydraecia petasitis
Found 18 records
↳ from 2026+
↳ from 2020 - 2025
↳ 18 from Before 2020
↳ from 2026+
↳ from 2020 - 2025
↳ 18 from Before 2020
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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 – Hydraecia petasitis
⚠️ 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.
Monthly Records By Year:
Hydraecia petasitis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
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 – 2026
Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Hydraecia petasitis
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Hydraecia petasitis
Hydraecia petasitis
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 2020-2026.
Records Behind the Map and Charts - Hydraecia petasitis – 18 records available
Listed by Year - descending - scroll across to see all table columns
| Site Name | Tetrad | Date | Count | Stage | Recorder | Source | RecordKey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkway, New Mills | SK08D | 29/08/1995 | 1 | Adult | J. Potts | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIZEQ |
| Parkway, New Mills | SK08D | 10/09/1990 | 1 | Adult | J. Potts | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHL2L |
| Parkway, New Mills | SK08D | 09/09/1990 | 1 | Adult | J. Potts | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIUZU |
| Meadow Rise, Simmondley, Glossop | SK09B | 21/09/1988 | 1 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIEOO |
| Meadow Rise, Simmondley, Glossop | SK09B | 17/09/1988 | 1 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHKCB |
| Barlow Brook, Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise) | SK37M | 05/07/1972 | 20 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHWAV |
| Barlow Brook, Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise) | SK37M | 05/07/1972 | 20 | Larvae | B. Elliott | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WP38I |
| Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise) | SK37M | 20/06/1971 | 1 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHET7 |
| Barlow, Chesterfield (site not precise) | SK37M | 20/06/1971 | 1 | Larvae | B. Elliott;B.F. Skinner | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WQ9XF |
| Barlow Lees, Dronfield | SK37N | 20/06/1968 | 1 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIHJR |
| on Abtw Dronfield & Unstone | SK37T | 14/06/1968 | 30 | Larvae | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHW20 |
| Calver (New Bridge) | SK27M | 08/09/1950 | 2 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OIDCG |
| Calver (site not precise) | SK27M | 06/09/1949 | 5 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OHDI1 |
| Calver (site not precise) | SK27M | 06/09/1949 | 5 | Adult | A.M. Emmet | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WOSKM |
| Little Eaton (site not precise) | SK34Q | 01/01/1905 | 1 | Adult | J. Hill | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WPZ9V |
| Little Eaton (site not precise) | SK34Q | 01/01/1900 | 1 | Adult | VC57 Derbyshire Recorder | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001OJHEI |
| Newton Solney (site not precise) | SK22S | 01/01/1888 | 1 | Adult | [VC57 Recorder] | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001TAGAH |
| Newton Solney (site not precise) | SK22S | 01/01/1888 | 1 | Adult | G. Baker | vc57_danes_bc_data | LC000334001WPZ9K |