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.
General Comment: None
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 2 October 2025 by RP ***
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.

Selected Images:  Buxton, Derbyshire – Rowan Wakefield©



Distribution Map for Cydia ulicetana

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

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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: 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 9 (September) 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

Site NameTetradDateCountStageSource
DWT Wyver LaneSK35K20/05/202510adultvc57_irecords_extract
Markham Vale DerbyshireSK47K11/05/20251adultvc57_irecords_extract
DWT Hoe Grange QuarrySK25I09/05/20254adultvc57_irecords_extract
Markham Vale North TipSK47L07/05/2025100adultvc57_irecords_extract
Cromford MoorSK25X06/05/20255adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I07/09/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK08F10/06/20241Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Ladycroft Ave, BuxtonSK07S25/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
DWT Wyver LaneSK34P09/05/20241adultvc57_irecords_extract
BelperSK34U03/07/20231adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK27B27/05/20231Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK07M19/08/20221Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Allestree, DerbySK33P04/09/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Blacka MoorSK28V30/05/20211adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I17/08/202010adultvc57_irecords_extract
Birch ValeSK08I07/09/20191adultvc57_irecords_extract
Derbyshire, UKSK17W25/05/20191Adultvc57_irecords_extract
Chinley HeadSK08L16/05/201910adultvc57_irecords_extract
Shirebrook ValleySK48C19/05/201820adultvc57_irecords_extract
Sandbed Lane (acid grassland), BelperSK34T19/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
School Close,Parkway Gardens,Darley DaleSK26R17/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Bradley Rocks,BirchoverSK26G14/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Alport Height,WirksworthSK35A04/05/20111Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Foremark Resr, TicknallSK32H11/06/20051Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Carvers Rocks, Hartshorne, SwadlincoteSK32G29/05/20052Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hilton Gravel Pits, Hilton, Burton on TrentSK23K13/05/20041Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Birch Hall Golf Course, UnstoneSK37T27/04/19971Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Unstone (site not precise)SK37T07/08/19941Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Unstone By-pass (site not precies)SK37N28/04/19891Adultvc57_danes_bc_data
Hunger Hill, Holymoorside, ChesterfieldSK36I31/05/19631Adultvc57_danes_bc_data

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