{"id":37452,"date":"2026-11-15T14:17:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T14:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/?p=37452"},"modified":"2026-11-15T14:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-15T14:28:31","slug":"stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-klozy9b5-e79d018ba1edc59e94a22db5cd98db66\">\n.avia-image-container.av-klozy9b5-e79d018ba1edc59e94a22db5cd98db66 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-klozy9b5-e79d018ba1edc59e94a22db5cd98db66 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-klozy9b5-e79d018ba1edc59e94a22db5cd98db66 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_heading  avia-builder-el-first '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-37466 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-37466 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\" alt='Stephen Thompson collage' title='Stephen Thompson collage'  height=\"924\" width=\"1155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg 1155w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson-1030x824.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson-705x564.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1155px) 100vw, 1155px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-2jbyed-cf3367417b376bc3426147427d145868\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-2jbyed-cf3367417b376bc3426147427d145868{\npadding-bottom:10px;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-2jbyed-cf3367417b376bc3426147427d145868 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-2jbyed-cf3367417b376bc3426147427d145868 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-2jbyed-cf3367417b376bc3426147427d145868 av-special-heading-h1 blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_image  el_before_av_post_metadata '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  >Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species<\/h1><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div  class='av-post-metadata-container av-mwfeik9j-7b2973f83c7eb6472031022f669273ad av-metadata-container-align-left  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_heading  el_before_av_textblock  av-metadata-container-1'><div class='av-post-metadata-container-inner'><span class=\"av-post-metadata-content av-post-metadata-meta-content\"><span class=\"av-post-metadata-content av-post-metadata-author\" ><span class=\"av-metadata-before av-metadata-before-author\">by<\/span><span class=\"av-post-metadata-author-link\" ><a href=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/author\/petra-himmel\/\"  rel=\"author\">Petra Himmel<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"av-post-metadata-content av-post-metadata-separator\">\/<\/span><span class=\"av-post-metadata-content av-post-metadata-modified\"><span class=\"av-post-metadata-modified-date\" >15. November 2026<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k8ycpuk2-259a97839e7c031a37eea8c49e47c525 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p>The assumption that a golf course is little more than hectares of mown grass\u2014a green desert, so to speak\u2014falls apart the moment you look at an Excel spreadsheet on <strong>Stephen Thompson<\/strong>\u2019s laptop: hundreds of moths, butterflies, birds and amphibians, grasshoppers, dragonflies, reptiles and other animals are neatly listed here\u2014along with where they were found, their Red List status, and their Latin names. Thompson scrolls and scrolls; the list seems endless. \u201cI put the list together for GEO recertification.\u201d It\u2019s impressive.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Woodhall Spa Golf Club: so much more than just golf<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are standing behind one of the barns for the greenkeeping vehicles on the grounds of the <strong>National Golf Centre of England Golf in Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire<\/strong> and looking at a large, round container that turns out to be a moth trap. Moths will keep us busy again and again over the next two hours, even though this is actually a place where another topic takes centre stage: Woodhall Spa Golf Club, with its two 18-hole courses and a first-class golf academy, is world-famous. The Hotchkin Course is an 18-hole course with impressive heathland, a superb arrangement of wild bunkers that look as if they were simply scraped out of the sandy ground. It is one of the top 50 golf courses outside America\u2014and yet Stephen Thompson and I are not talking about hole strategy today, but about moths, otters, owls and all sorts of other wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Thompson is not a golfer. He is a Senior Greenkeeper. Above all, however, he has been nominated by the National Biodiversity Network for the <strong>2026 NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award<\/strong> and has made it to the final alongside three other contenders. The winner will be announced on 19 November. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge honour to be nominated and to make it among the finalists,\u201d he says. It is recognition for work that even his wife long viewed with a certain scepticism. \u201cTo be honest, she didn\u2019t think moths were that great at first. Since she\u2019s realised how much I\u2019m invested in the subject, she\u2019s become more interested in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-mwetezs8-f0f4d08c9070f423e33f9906104f7038\">\n.avia-image-container.av-mwetezs8-f0f4d08c9070f423e33f9906104f7038 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-mwetezs8-f0f4d08c9070f423e33f9906104f7038 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-mwetezs8-f0f4d08c9070f423e33f9906104f7038 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-37468 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-37468 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Naturfuehrung-in-Woodhall-Spa-klein-1500x630.jpg\" alt='' title='Nature walk in Woodhall Spa (small)'  height=\"630\" width=\"1500\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-kvgbg8sg-53021eb7fe068b4c8d847014eef06093 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p><strong>More than 500 moth species in Woodhall Spa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are more than 2,500 moth species in the UK, including around 900 macro-moths and roughly 1,600 smaller species. Things are not looking good for these small pollinators. According to a 2021 report by <strong>Butterfly Conservation<\/strong>, 51 species have become extinct in the UK since 1900, and 41% of the species studied declined in numbers. Particularly conservation-worthy moth species are declining by 87.3% in relative abundance, according to a government data survey from 2024.<\/p>\n<p>And it would be unfair to speak only of Thompson\u2019s passion for these small pollinators, of which he says, \u201cThey\u2019re just as important for pollination as butterflies, but because they\u2019re not as pretty, people simply don\u2019t think they matter as much.\u201d He always has his smartphone on him, always keeping an eye on the meadows, hedgerows and trees beyond the fairways to identify any striking movement or a new species. Unfortunately, he has only spotted the otter at the small water hazard on one hole of the Bracken Course twice. It was a special moment that he captured on video. Very close to the green, the slender black body moved through the water hazard, unfazed by the golfers. For Thompson, it was yet another sign of just how much potential golf facilities have as habitat for wildlife.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-kvijmhbm-19860196699262777b021cea476108a1\">\n.avia-image-container.av-kvijmhbm-19860196699262777b021cea476108a1 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-kvijmhbm-19860196699262777b021cea476108a1 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-kvijmhbm-19860196699262777b021cea476108a1 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-37469 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-37469 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Stephen-Thompson-bird-cage-klein-1500x630.jpg\" alt='' title='Stephen Thompson bird cage (small)'  height=\"630\" width=\"1500\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-mwhwkzxf-692c92e1061e201b96b618585086be99 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p>His work in Woodhall Spa is not without challenges: establishing barn owls, for example, is proving difficult. He has now installed three nest boxes. He does not yet have a licence to check them during the breeding season, but now in winter he opens them to see whether they have been used. \u201cWe actually have a food supply here that\u2019s large enough,\u201d he says, analysing the surroundings. In fact, below the bird box there is a wide meadow margin stretching the length of a fairway, where mice, small rodents and other creatures can thrive. The owls could hunt here. \u201cYou just need patience,\u201d is his conclusion. At some point, the barn owls will come.<\/p>\n<p>He checks all the nest boxes on the golf grounds regularly, cleans them, and keeps meticulous records of occupancy. \u201cEleven great tits on 14 May, no dead chicks,\u201d reads the summary for a bird box by the greenkeeping building as well. Thompson rings the young birds in early summer. He has had a licence for that too\u2014for years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Combining profession and passion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First and foremost, the Englishman was\u2014and still is\u2014a naturalist with a high level of expertise. He only came to greenkeeping later, when the man from Horncastle was looking for a job near his home town in the county of Lincolnshire. \u201cI\u2019ve always liked working outdoors, and when in the 90s a greenkeeper position came up at the golf course around the corner from me, John O\u2019Gaunt Golf Club, I thought it would be a great opportunity to combine birdwatching with my job.\u201d In Woodhall Spa, he was hired in 2023 both as a Senior Greenkeeper and as a recognised expert on flora and fauna.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday evenings, when he\u2019s finished his greenkeeping job, he sometimes sets off in his VW bus to go moth hunting over the weekend in England\u2019s untouched landscapes. The white bus with all the plant and animal paintings suits his passion perfectly. Then he sets up a moth trap, sleeps in it, and counts the species the next morning. The finds are abundant. In his moth traps in Woodhall Spa, during the high-summer months from June to August, there are often more than 100 different moths. He records the find and then releases them. His list grows\u2014day by day.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-mwffy20f-dd655d24f086e484864df7c0f9c444dd\">\n.avia-image-container.av-mwffy20f-dd655d24f086e484864df7c0f9c444dd img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-mwffy20f-dd655d24f086e484864df7c0f9c444dd .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-mwffy20f-dd655d24f086e484864df7c0f9c444dd av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '  ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-37470 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-37470 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/VW-Bus-1252x630.jpg\" alt='' title='VW bus'  height=\"630\" width=\"1252\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-mwetiifx-47c6bef1b71d420939a0bc58f2520ca4 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p>His nomination for the National Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award shines a new light not only on him, but also on golf. \u201cBeing part of it now also shows that golf courses are places that matter for nature,\u201d he says. Presenting golf courses on the national stage as places of biodiversity is a great opportunity for the sport\u2014and we agree on that. I wish him the best of luck for the final on 19 November. We say goodbye.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, a Saturday, an email from Stephen Thompson flashes up in my inbox: \u201cHello. Moth news. Two new species for this week. A Rusty Dot Pearl and a November Tunic. That makes 513 species. Total for this year: 303.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-2mu5xc-ddf05dffd38233f2a3d04169786b874c av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><div class=\"av-share-box\"><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this post<\/h5><ul class=\"av-share-box-list noLightbox\"><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/&#038;t=Stephen%20Thompson%3A%20The%20man%20behind%20513%20moth%20species' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on X\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Stephen%20Thompson%3A%20The%20man%20behind%20513%20moth%20species&#038;url=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/?p=37452' data-av_icon='\ue932' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on X'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on X<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-whatsapp avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on WhatsApp\" href='https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/' data-av_icon='\uf232' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on WhatsApp'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on WhatsApp<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-pinterest avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Pinterest\" href='https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfsustainable.com%2Fen%2Fstephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths%2F&#038;description=Stephen%20Thompson%3A%20The%20man%20behind%20513%20moth%20species&#038;media=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfsustainable.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F11%2FCollage-Stephen-Thompson-705x564.jpg' data-av_icon='\ue8f8' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Pinterest'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Pinterest<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin avia_social_iconfont' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=Stephen%20Thompson%3A%20The%20man%20behind%20513%20moth%20species&#038;url=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-mail avia_social_iconfont' ><a  aria-label=\"Share by Mail\" href='mailto:?subject=Stephen%20Thompson%3A%20The%20man%20behind%20513%20moth%20species&#038;body=https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/' data-av_icon='\ue805' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share by Mail'><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share by Mail<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[804,764,813,775,755],"tags":[3229,2304,3950,1115,3951,3492,784,3952,3953,3954,3955,3956],"class_list":["post-37452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animals","category-biodiversity","category-greenkeeping-en","category-international-news","category-uncategorized","tag-biodiversitaet-en","tag-england-golf-en","tag-fauna-flora-golf","tag-golf-and-biodiversity","tag-golf-and-habitat","tag-golf-und-nachhaltigkeit","tag-habitat-golf-course","tag-moths-and-golf","tag-national-biodiversity-network-lifetime-achievement-award","tag-nature-conservation-golf-course","tag-nbn-biodiversity-lifetime-achievement-award","tag-stephen-thompson"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.8 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species - Golf Sustainable<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stephen Thompson, Senior Greenkeeper at England Golf\u2019s National Golf Centre, has been nominated for the NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Woodhall Spa greenkeeper nominated for NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Golf Sustainable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golfsustainable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1155\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"924\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Petra Himmel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@golfsustainable\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@golfsustainable\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Petra Himmel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Petra Himmel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/82f0f9adc86388dc4f7b70ca199b1655\"},\"headline\":\"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2953,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Biodiversit\u00e4t\",\"England Golf\",\"Fauna &amp; Flora Golf\",\"golf and biodiversity\",\"Golf and habitat\",\"Golf und Nachhaltigkeit\",\"Habitat golf course\",\"Moths and golf\",\"National Biodiversity Network Lifetime Achievement Award\",\"Nature conservation golf course\",\"NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award\",\"Stephen Thompson\"],\"articleSection\":[\"animals\",\"biodiversity\",\"Greenkeeping\",\"International News\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species - Golf Sustainable\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"Stephen Thompson, Senior Greenkeeper at England Golf\u2019s National Golf Centre, has been nominated for the NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg\",\"width\":1155,\"height\":924,\"caption\":\"Stephen Thompson collage\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/golf-sustainable\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Golf Sustainable\",\"description\":\"Mehr Drive f\u00fcr Nachhaltigkeit im Golf\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Golf Sustainable\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/logo_GolfSustainable_final.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/logo_GolfSustainable_final.png\",\"width\":418,\"height\":375,\"caption\":\"Golf Sustainable\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/golfsustainable\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/golfsustainable\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/golfsustainable\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/petra-himmel-11426286\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCwFJsGawvBE0g-JPRVYR5yA\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/golfsustainable\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/golfsustainable.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/82f0f9adc86388dc4f7b70ca199b1655\",\"name\":\"Petra Himmel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Petra Himmel\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.golfsustainable.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species - Golf Sustainable","description":"Stephen Thompson, Senior Greenkeeper at England Golf\u2019s National Golf Centre, has been nominated for the NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species","og_description":"Woodhall Spa greenkeeper nominated for NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award","og_url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/","og_site_name":"Golf Sustainable","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golfsustainable","article_published_time":"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1155,"height":924,"url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Petra Himmel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@golfsustainable","twitter_site":"@golfsustainable","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Petra Himmel","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/"},"author":{"name":"Petra Himmel","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/82f0f9adc86388dc4f7b70ca199b1655"},"headline":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species","datePublished":"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/"},"wordCount":2953,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg","keywords":["Biodiversit\u00e4t","England Golf","Fauna &amp; Flora Golf","golf and biodiversity","Golf and habitat","Golf und Nachhaltigkeit","Habitat golf course","Moths and golf","National Biodiversity Network Lifetime Achievement Award","Nature conservation golf course","NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award","Stephen Thompson"],"articleSection":["animals","biodiversity","Greenkeeping","International News","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/","url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/","name":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species - Golf Sustainable","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-15T14:17:03+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-15T14:28:31+00:00","description":"Stephen Thompson, Senior Greenkeeper at England Golf\u2019s National Golf Centre, has been nominated for the NBN Biodiversity Lifetime Achievement Award.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Collage-Stephen-Thompson.jpg","width":1155,"height":924,"caption":"Stephen Thompson collage"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/stephenthompson-greenkeeper-behind-513-moths\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/golf-sustainable\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stephen Thompson: The man behind 513 moth species"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/","name":"Golf Sustainable","description":"Mehr Drive f\u00fcr Nachhaltigkeit im Golf","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Golf Sustainable","url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo_GolfSustainable_final.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/logo_GolfSustainable_final.png","width":418,"height":375,"caption":"Golf Sustainable"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golfsustainable","https:\/\/x.com\/golfsustainable","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/golfsustainable\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/petra-himmel-11426286\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCwFJsGawvBE0g-JPRVYR5yA","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/golfsustainable\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/82f0f9adc86388dc4f7b70ca199b1655","name":"Petra Himmel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3000d362b9d18cd888ae380d4f76ba4c800977addbfc684ff5db269e2ea54f02?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Petra Himmel"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.golfsustainable.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37452"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37479,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37452\/revisions\/37479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/golfsustainable.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}