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73.248 BF2184  – Northern Drab  – Orthosia opima  – (Hübner, 1809)
Adult Macro:  CAT 3 – Difficult to identify – Quality set of photographs required – Difficult to identify /Very rare/Scarce (includes very scarce adventives/immigrants)/County-level first records      
PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro  >>.  >>  Noctuidae  >> Hadeninae
** Photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  Lead-coloured Drab; Clouded Drab
Distribution:  (Last record: 1987 at Mapperely Res, Ilkeston )  –    A rare vagrant with less than 25 specimens being reported – last recorded on 25/4/1987 from Mapperley Res, Ilkeston. All records refer to occasional individuals captured at MV Light. All records from DaNES historical.
General Comment: None
Flight Period: April /  May –  On the wing – mid-April – mid-May Moth Activity: Nocturnal   – but can be disturbed during the day Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 14 January 2026 by TD ***
Wingspan: 34-40mm
Forewing: 15-17mm
Food Plant: Sallow (Salix), Birch (Betula), Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea).
Last Recorded Year: 1987
Last Recorded By – DaNES Historical
Last Recorded General Area – Mapperely Res, Ilkeston

Selected Images:  No images



Temporal Distribution Chart
Adults: (between 1952 - 1987)
(click legend below to show/hide datasets)

Distribution Map for Orthosia opima

Found 7 records
    ↳ from 2026+
    ↳ from 2020 - 2025
    ↳ 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 – Orthosia opima

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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: Orthosia opima
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Monthly Counts By Year: Orthosia opima
( data is based on 'Adult' stage records only )

First/Last Recorded Dates: Orthosia opima
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: Orthosia opima
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Orthosia opima
AGR: 0%   |   Total % Change: 0%
Orthosia opima
Insufficient records/data for an AGR analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2026

Hectad (10kmx10km) Coverage: Orthosia opima
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Orthosia opima

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 - Orthosia opima – 7 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageRecorderSourceRecordKey
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G25/04/19871AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OISKR
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R17/05/19581AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OHVBL
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R07/05/19561AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OIDFV
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R21/04/19561AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OIDFO
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R09/04/19561AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OIDFH
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R26/04/19521AdultVC57 Derbyshire Recordervc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001OHDIK
Repton (assumed - site not precise)SK32B01/01/19151Adult[VC57 Recorder]vc57_danes_bc_dataLC000334001TAGE3

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