Our woodland rides and glades are managed and wildflowers planted to encourage insects, butterflies and moths. Over the years we have intermittently surveyed macro moths but we began to regularly survey and record in 2014.

Heath Moth Trap
Photo Su Haselton
During this time we were using a Heath Moth Trap which ran on battery power. As you can imagine this was sometimes a ‘bit hit and miss’ depending on the age of the battery!
Nevertheless we were encouraged with the results and so applied for a grant to invest in a new, bigger and mains powered trap.

Moth Trap
Photo by Jonathan Atkins
This new trap arrived in 2015 in time to try it out in the 5 Acre meadow adjoining the car park whilst there was an abundance of wildflowers and long meadow grass.

Lesser swallow prominents collected from the ‘Heath Trap’
Photo by Lily Zecherle
The moths are are attracted by the light, enter the trap and nestle down in the recesses of the egg boxes. In the morning the moths are carefully transferred from their hiding places into clear plastic pots of various sizes so they can be examined, identified and recorded. The moths are then released close to their capture point and some loiter long enough to be captured again but this time as a digital image!
Micro moths are now part of our ‘identity parade’ but you need a good hand lens as well as good eyesight!
We are used to seeing moths at home against our windows attracted by our house lights but how many of us realise the vast variety of macro moths and their vibrant colours? We do see some moths during the day such as Cinnabar moths and many of the micro moths. Did you know that one of the micro moth species has bright blue eyes?
Here is a photographic gallery of some of Gorse Hill moths:

Male Pale Tussock moth
Photo by Su Haselton

Female Pale Tussock moth
Photo by Su Haselton

Pale Tussock larva
Photo by Arron Heap

male and female Six-spot Burnet moths
Photo by Su Haselton

Chocolate-tip
Photo by Su Haselton

Merveille du Jour
Photo by Su Haselton

Eyed Hawkmoth
Photo by Su Haselton

Orange Swift
Photo by Su Haselton

Marbled Beauty
Photo by Su Haselton

True Lover’s Knot
Photo by Su Haselton

Sandy Carpet
Photo by Su Haselton

Beautiful Hook-tip
Photo by Su Haselton

Yellow-barred Brindle
Photo by Su Haselton

Feathered Thorn
Photo by Su Haselton

Pine Beauty
Photo by Su Haselton

Early Thorn
Photo by Su Haselton

Sallow Kitten
Photo by Su Haselton

Hebrew Character
Photo by Su Haselton

Small Quaker
Photo by Su Haselton

Powdered Quaker
Photo by Su Haselton

Early Tooth-striped
Photo by Su Haselton

Common Quaker
Photo by Su Haselton

Clouded Drab
Photo by Su Haselton

Dyseriocrania subpurpurella
Photo by Richard Walker

Common Marbled Carpet
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Yellow-line Quaker well camouflaged
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Red-line Quaker
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Green-brindled Crescent
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Grey Pine Carpet
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Beaded Chestnut
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Green Carpet
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Pink-barred Sallow
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Lunar Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Red Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Red Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Canary-shouldered Thorn
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Turnip Moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Diamond back (micro moth)
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Carcina quercana
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Rosy Rustic
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

White Satin
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Small Phoenix
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Small Wainscot
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Argyresthia Brockeella
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Single Dotted Wave
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Bordered Beauty
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Catoptria falsella
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Clouded magpie
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Copper Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Dingy Footman
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Lychnis
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Mouse Moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Willow Beauty
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Silver Y
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Shaded Broad-bar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Poplar Grey
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Mother of Pearl
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Lesser Yellow Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Herald
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Grey Dagger
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Dun-bar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Common White Wave
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Acleris forsskaleana
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Swallow-tailed Moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Slender Brindle
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Scalloped Oak
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Eyed Hawkmoth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Clay
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Burnished Brass
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Buff Arches
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Bordered Pug
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Spectacle moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Small Magpie
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Peppered moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Peach Blossom
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Light Emerald
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Grey Arches
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Green Silver Lines
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Coxcomb Prominent
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Ghost moth (male)
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Ghost Moth (female)
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Buff Tip
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Bordered Sallow
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Angle Shades
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Uncertain yes it is its name Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Small Angle Shades
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Shoulder – striped Wainscot
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Garden Carpet
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Drinker
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

The Drinker caterpillar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Scorched Wing
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Buff Ermine
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Purple Bar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Poplar Hawkmoth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Middle-barred Minor
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Lesser Swallow Prominent
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Ingrailed Clay
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Green Arches
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Elephant Hawkmoth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Common Wainscot
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Clouded Border
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Brown China Mark
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Brimstone Moth
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

White Ermine
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Treble Lines
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Small Square Spot
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Shuttle-shaped Dart
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Pebble Prominent
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Heart and Dart
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Flame Shoulder
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Common Swift
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Cinnabar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Ancylis badiana
Photo by Liz Brotherstone

Silver Ground Carpet Moth
Photo by Su Haselton

Ruby tiger
Photo by Katherine Morley

Lesser swallow prominents
Photo by Lily Zecherle

Large emerald
Photo by Katherine Morley

Green-brindled crescent
Photo by Katherine Morley

Garden tiger
Photo by Katherine Morley

Garden tiger
Photo by Katherine Morley

Dark arches
Photo by Katherine Morley

Canary-shouldered thorn
Photo by Katherine Morley

Broad-bordered yellow underwing
Photo by Katherine Morley

Svenssons Copper Underwing caterpillar
Photo by Liz Brotherstone