Cydia nigricana       Cydia coniferana
49.325 BF1255  –  Tortricidae –  Olethreutinae – Cydia ulicetana – Common Gorse Moth – (Haworth, 1811) Adult Micro:  CAT 1 – Distinctive Species –       PDF Icon – click for General Verification Guidelines  |   PDF Icon – click for Specific Verification Guidelines
Blue –  Generally Common / Widespread   
Taxonomy:   Micro   >>  Tortricidae  >> Olethreutinae
Other Name/s: Grey Gorse Piercer, Cydia succedana
ID Difficulty:  green  – easy to identify, generally distinctive and unlikely to be confused with other species.
ID pointers: Forewing a pale grey to dark grey, variable speckled with greyish brown or greyish yellow. The costa shows several  small whitish streaks. The rear third is delicately marked with metallic orangey brown.
Distribution:  A common species on heath and moorland where there is gorse or broom.
Flight Period: July /  August /  September /  –  On the wing during July – September. Moth Activity: Crepuscular  – females crepuscular, males fly in sunshine Photographed: Yes –  Photographed By: Rowan Wakefield  © All Rights Reserved
*** Last updated on 21 June 2025 by TD ***
Wingspan: 12-16mm
 Food Plant: Gorse or Broom.
Recorded dates for Common [Blue code Blue-coded] moths are not stored on the website at this current time.
IMAGES BELOW:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Rowan Wakefield©

Cydia ulicetana
Cydia ulicetana – Rowan Wakefield
Cydia ulicetana

no images were found

Distribution Map for Cydia ulicetana

Found 30 records
    ↳ 5 from After 2025
    ↳ 10 from 2020 - 2024
    ↳ 15 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 – Cydia ulicetana

⚠️ 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: Cydia ulicetana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

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


First/Last Recorded Dates: Cydia ulicetana
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: Cydia ulicetana
( All data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )
Annual Growth Rate (AGR): Cydia ulicetana
AGR: 16.34%   |   Total % Change: 2300%


CUSUM Analysis: Cydia ulicetana
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 15 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 7 (July) 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 2025, reaching above average levels. The lowest population point occurred near 2024, 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: Cydia ulicetana
( data includes both Larvae and Adult Stages )

Flight Periods – Indicative –vs– Recorded Data
Cydia ulicetana
( 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 - Cydia ulicetana – 30 records available

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

TaxonSite NameTetradYearDateCountStageSource
Cydia ulicetanaCromford MoorSK25X202506/05/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaMarkham Vale North TipSK47L202507/05/2025100adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDWT Hoe Grange QuarrySK25I202509/05/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaMarkham Vale DerbyshireSK47K202511/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDWT Wyver LaneSK35K202520/05/202510adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaBirch ValeSK08I202407/09/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDerbyshire, UKSK08F202410/06/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDWT Wyver LaneSK34P202409/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaLadycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S202425/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaBelperSK34U202303/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDerbyshire, UKSK27B202327/05/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDerbyshire, UKSK07M202219/08/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaAllestree, DerbySK33P202104/09/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaBlacka MoorSK28V202130/05/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaBirch ValeSK08I202017/08/202010adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaBirch ValeSK08I201907/09/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaDerbyshire, UKSK17W201925/05/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaChinley HeadSK08L201916/05/201910adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaShirebrook ValleySK48C201819/05/201820adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cydia ulicetanaSandbed Lane (acid grassland), BelperSK34T201119/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaAlport Height,WirksworthSK35A201104/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaBradley Rocks,BirchoverSK26G201114/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaSchool Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R201117/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaForemark Resr, TicknallSK32H200511/06/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaCarvers Rocks, Hartshorne, SwadlincoteSK32G200529/05/20052Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaHilton Gravel Pits, Hilton, Burton on TrentSK23K200413/05/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaBirch Hall Golf Course, UnstoneSK37T199727/04/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaUnstone (site not precise)SK37T199407/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaUnstone By-pass (site not precies)SK37N198928/04/19891Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Cydia ulicetanaHunger Hill, Holymoorside, ChesterfieldSK36I196331/05/19631Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

Cydia nigricana       Cydia coniferana

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