73.248 BF2184  –  Noctuidae –  Hadeninae – Orthosia opima – Northern Drab – (Hübner, 1809) Adult Macro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive species unlikely to be confused with others –       PDF Icon – click for Adult Macro Verification Guidelines

Brown –  Significant Record / Very Rare / Vagrant    
Taxonomy:   Macro   >>  Noctuidae  >> Hadeninae
** Photograph required **
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
Distribution:  (Last record: 22 April 1971 at Shardlow )  –    A rare vagrant with less than 25 specimens being reported – last recorded on 22nd April 1971 from Shardlow. All records refer to occasional individuals captured at MV Light.
Flight Period: April /  May /  –  On the wing – mid-April – mid-May Moth Activity: Nocturnal  Photographed: No –  Photographed By: Not Recorded
*** Last updated on 2 October 2025 by RP ***
Wingspan: 34-40mm
Forewing: 15-17mm
Food Plant: Sallow (Salix), Birch (Betula), Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea).
Last Recorded By – RHD from Harrison & Sterling
Last Recorded General Area – Shardlow

Selected Images:  No images



Distribution Map for Orthosia opima

Found 7 records
    ↳ 0 from After 2025
    ↳ 0 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 – Orthosia opima

⚠️ 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.

Visit NBN Site


Monthly Records By Year: Orthosia opima
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
No data returned from the database.

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 – 2025
Orthosia opima
Insufficient records/data for a CUSUM analysis
Years Analysed: 2000 – 2025

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

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Orthosia opima
( 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 - Orthosia opima – 7 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Pond House, Mapperley Res, IlkestonSK44G25/04/19871Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R17/05/19581Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R07/05/19561Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R09/04/19561Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R21/04/19561Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Newbold Ave, ChesterfieldSK37R26/04/19521Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Repton (assumed - site not precise)SK32B01/01/19151Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Scroll to Top