Micropterix aruncella       Dyseriocrania subpurpurella
1.005 BF5  –  Micropterigidae – Micropterix calthella – Plain Pollen Moth – (Linnaeus, 1761) Adult Micro:  CAT 2 – Confusion Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread        day-flying – Day-flying
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Micropterigidae
Other Name/s: Plain Gold
ID Difficulty:  amber  – care required in the identification process, as confusion with similar species is likely – quality photographs required.
Confusion Species:  White-line Pollen-moth
ID pointers: A tiny species with metallic bronze coloured forewings with purplish tinges.
Distribution:  Common in the Derbyshire Dales. 
Flight Period: May /  June /  –  On the wing during the day in May and June. Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Tony Davison  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 25 April 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 7-10mm
 Food Plant: Various herbaceous plants
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
IMAGES BELOW:  Carsington, Derbyshire – Tony Davison ©

1.005 BF5 - Micropterigidae - Micropterix calthella
Micropterix calthella – Will Soar
1.005 BF5 - Micropterigidae - Micropterix calthella

 
 
1.005 BF5-micropterix calthella 1.005 BF5 - Micropterix calthella Carsington, Derbyshire -Tony Davison©

Distribution Map for Micropterix calthella

Found 34 records
    ↳ 5 from After 2025
    ↳ 22 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 – Micropterix calthella

⚠️ 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: Micropterix calthella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Micropterix calthella
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: Micropterix calthella
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Micropterix calthella
AGR: -7.68%   |   Total % Change: -81.3%


CUSUM Analysis: Micropterix calthella
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 16 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 8 (August) 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 2004, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2021, 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: Micropterix calthella
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Micropterix calthella
( 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 - Micropterix calthella – 34 records available

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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
Serpentine Woods (north), BuxtonSK07L02/07/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Monsal DaleSK17Q06/05/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cunning DaleSK07R18/05/20251Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Millfields ,CarsingtonSK25K24/05/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cunningdale, BuxtonSK07R18/05/202520adultvc57_irecords_extract
Goosehill Hall (SK)SK18L11/06/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cunningdale SACSK07R18/05/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK27Y19/05/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Miller's DaleSK17L05/05/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S09/05/202420Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK37D21/05/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Grinlow Woods, Derbyshire, UKSK07L25/05/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S20/05/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Grinlow Woods, Derbyshire, UKSK07L01/06/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Lathkilldale, MonyashSK16N17/05/2022100adultvc57_irecords_extract
Trowell Marsh LNRSK43U23/05/20221adultvc57_irecords_extract
FerneydaleSK07Q21/06/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, England, United KingdomSK07K26/06/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Haddon ParkSK26I05/06/20214Adultvc57_irecords_extract
FerneyDaleSK07Q26/06/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Grin LowSK07K13/06/20217adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S13/05/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S22/05/20211Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Waterswallows QuarrySK07X17/07/20201not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
MellorSJ98Y09/05/202050adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S14/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S18/05/20201adultvc57_irecords_extract
Etherow CPSJ99Q20/05/201940not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Coombs DaleSK27H07/06/20185Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Etherow CPSJ99Q21/05/20181not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Etherow CPSJ99Q21/05/20181not recordedvc57_irecords_extract
Jim Mart Nature ReserveSK36S14/06/20161Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Carsington WaterSK25L29/05/20111adultvc57_irecords_extract
Carsington WaterSK25L16/05/200430Adultvc57_irecords_extract

 
Micropterix aruncella       Dyseriocrania subpurpurella

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