Latest from the garden moth trap

Another good session in the garden on Tuesday, particularly at dusk, with 4 new species of micro moth netted, a lovely variety as well.

The conditions were just perfect and warm enough for some activity.

 

Overnight there weren't many moths as it got cool early doors, so I just noted the new species and anything noteworthy. 

 

That little lot brings me over the 100 species mark for the year.

The days currently are probably around the seasonal average of 15 degrees max, with night time temperatures dipping to 5c, not perfect just yet, but next week looks rather tasty.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 104 species

22/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Ruby Tiger 1 [NFY]
White Ermine 1 [NFY]
Lunar Marbled Brown 1 (2nd for the year)

Micro Moths

Emmetia marginea 1 [NFY] (netted)
Incurvaria masculella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Monopis crocicapitella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Monopis weaverella 1 [NFY] (netted)

Alucita hexadactyla 1 (netted)
Cameraria ohridella 2 (netted)
Nemapogon granella 3 (2 netted & 1 to S.cerealella lure)
Pammene suspectana (to FUN lure)

 

Emmetia marginea

Ruby Tiger

White Ermine

Incurvaria masculella

Monopis crocicapitella

Nemapogon granella

Monopis weaverella

Nemapogon granella pos

 

A Prominent feature

The first Prominents graced the trap on Monday night (Although technically, Chocolate-tip is of the same family, it just doesn't sport the same British vernacular). The family Notodontidae also includes the Lunar Marbled Brown of which i've had two so far this year.

I digress... back to the catch, and there were only 3 new species, both Swallow & Pebble Prominent and a Nemapogon granella netted at dusk.

During the day I missed a few day flying moths, but could see what they were in flight, with their bright yellow hindwings, Esperia sulphurella. I finally managed to net one for a quick snap, a pretty little day-flying species that occasionally come to light.

I've retained a couple of the really white Nemapogon, incase of variatella, but they always come back as granella, so far...

The rest of the catch was quiet, with a few Carpets and spring species. 

Nearly at the 100 species for the year mark!

A quick early glimpse of next week, talks of temperatures rising during the day and night.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 98 species

21/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic TrapMacro Moths

Pebble Prominent 1 [NFY]

Swallow Prominent 1 [NFY]

Brindled Pug 1
Common Quaker 3
Double-striped Pug 2
Garden Carpet 4
Red-green Carpet 2
Nut-tree Tussock 2
Oak-tree Pug 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Spectacle 1

Micro Moths

Esperia sulphurella 1 [NFY] (netted)

Nemapogon granella 1 [NFY] (netted)

Cameraria ohridella 2 (netted)
Elachista rufocinerea 1 (netted)

 

Swallow Prominent

Clouded Drab

Esperia sulphurella

Nemapogon granella

Pebble Prominent

 

Early summer just around the corner, but spring is dragging it's feet!

Another night, and not a bad catch at all, the spring Orthosia species are really hanging on here, and still in fresh condition.

A couple of new species were welcome as always, a Grey Dagger species (Needs dissection to separate from Dark Dagger, but I always aggregate these in the garden). 

Best macro was a Pale Pinion, an annual visitor in low numbers, like a piece of chewed up timber.

 

On the smaller moth front,  Amblyptilia acanthadactyla returned after a year off, really odd as it's usually a common moth.

Two cracking distinctive Epiblema scutulana were also great to see, i've since had a couple today to the FUN lure, which is a known attractant to them.

 

On the subject of the FUN lure, it seems to be working once more (after the giganteana flurry in March) with a year first target moth, Grapholita funebrana, and yet another Pammene suspectana, a really bright one this time. 

Warmer times on the horizon.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 94 species

20/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic TrapMacro Moths

Grey Dagger sp 1 [NFY]
Pale Pinion 1 [NFY]
Common Quaker 2
Double-striped Pug 1
Early Grey 1
Garden Carpet 3
Hebrew Character 1
Pale Prominent 1
Red-green Carpet 1
Nut-tree Tussock 1
Oak-tree Pug 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Spectacle 1

Micro Moths

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla 1 [NFY]
Epiblema scutulana 2 [NFY]

Grapholita funebrana 1 [NFY] (to FUN lure)
Epiphyas postvittana 1

Pammene suspectana 1 (to FUN lure)
Plutella xylostella 1
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 5

 

Pammene suspectana

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Epiblema scutulana

Epiblema scutulana pair

Epiblema scutulana

Grapholita funebrana

Grey Dagger sp

Pale Pinion

 

cooler, breezier, the moths go quiet

A pretty poor night on a Good Friday (supposedly) with low numbers of common species present.

There was however a hint of migration, with Silver Y & Plutella xylostella to the trap as I was packing away at midnight, so with those two, I decided to leave it running for a further 5hrs.

And.... it wasn't worth it. There was nothing new come the morning, typical!

Other highlights included a year first Mint Moth (Pyrausta aurata) netted during the day, and my first melanic form of Nut-tree Tussock for my garden, a common form back in Hertfordshire looking back at my photographs.

Weather still a bit samey, and just not quite warm enough for a foray into the field.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 89 species

18/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Silver Y 1 [NFY]

Nut-tree Tussock f.melanotica 1

Micro Moths 

Plutella xylostella 1 [NFY]

Pyrausta aurata 1 [NFY] 

Silver Y

Nut-tree Tussock f.melanotica

Plutella xylostella

Pyrausta aurata

The big list!

Conditions were fairly good on Thursday evening, and with highs of 17 degrees and little breeze, it was time to put the net to good use once more out on the patio.

I spent close to an hour searching the sky and sweeping at tiny specks in the sky, hoping that they were moths.

Now you see, when I first started this dusk netting game, I found it very difficult to differentiate between a fly and a moth.

I think i've finally cracked it. In basic analogy, flies dance and moths flutter, it's as simple as that. 

In that hour I netted a cracking 12 species, half were new for the 2025 list, result.

 

Overnight temperatures did dip away by the early hours to 8 degrees, but with calm (and most importantly cloudy) conditions, the moths were making it fairly busy once more.

 

Pick of the list were an early, smart Dewick's Plusia, a brightly coloured Phyllonorycter species (that will need dissecting) the uncommon and flighty Agonopterix ocellana and the miniscule but ever so neat Leucoptera laburnella, the latter new for the garden and the 867th species.

 

I was also lucky to disturb a new caterpillar for my records, a super Jersey Tiger that dropperd out of the large patch of stingers at the bottom of the garden.

 

We do need some more mild and calm night, but there are none on the radar currently.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 86 species

17/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Brimstone Moth 1 [NFY]
Dewick's Plusia 1 [NFY]
Frosted Green 1 [NFY]
Pale Tussock 1 [NFY]
Red-green Carpet 1 [NFY]
Angle Shades 1
Chocolate-tip 1
Clouded Drab 1
Double-striped Pug 2
Garden Carpet 1
Hebrew Character 1
Muslin Moth 5
Nut-tree Tussock 4
Oak-tree Pug 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 3

Micro Moths 

Agonopterix ocellana 1 [NFY]
Anthophila fabriciana 1 [NFY] (netted)
Cameraria ohridella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Elachista rufocinerea 1 [NFY] (netted)
Leucoptera laburnella 1 [NFG] (netted)
Platyedra subcinerea 1 [NFY]
Tinea trinotella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Agonopterix alstromeriana 1
Agonopterix heracliana 1
Caloptilia semifascia 1 (netted)
Emmelina monodactyla 2
Epermenia chaerophyllella 1 (netted)
Epiphyas postvittana 1 (netted)
Lyonetia clerkella 1 (netted)
Mompha epilobiella 1 (netted)
Mompha subbistrigella 2 (netted) 

Phyllonorycter sp 1 (netted) TBC
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 1

 

Tinea trinotella

Agonopterix ocellana

Brimstone Moth

Dewick's Plusia

Jersey Tiger Caterpillar

Leucoptera laburnella

Phyllonorycter sp

Platyedra subcinerea

 

Latest mothy mumblings

Still ticking over quite nicely in my garden, with new species being added on a nightly basis.

Moth of the night went to a rather striking Dotted Chestnut, my annual single specimen, and in great condition too.

On the micro front, the rarely seen for me Depressaria radiella was most welcome, a real bruiser of a customer, dwarfing any others in it's family. The moth feeds on Wild Parsnip, but more commonly found on Hogweed, for which there are plentiful amounts around the village.

The weather is stable currently, with highs of between 15 and 18 degrees, but lows of 5 or 6 by the early morning.

Wind and rain is now forecast.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 74 species

16/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Chinese Character 1 [NFY]
Dotted Chestut 1 [NFY]
Pale Prominent 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 1
Clouded Drab 3
Common Quaker 2
Double-striped Pug 1
Garden Carpet 1
Hebrew Character 3
Latticed Heath 1
Nut-tree Tussock 7
Powdered Quaker 1

Micro Moths 

Depressaria radiella 1 [NFY]
Elachista canapennella 1 [NFY]
Parornix sp 1 [NFY]
Epiphyas postvittana 1

 

Parornix sp

Chinese Character

Depressaria radiella

Dotted Chestnut

Pale Prominent

 

Cambs earliest Barred Hook-tip!

The weather still remains a bit unsettled, but warmer days are helping, it's still just a little chilly at night but the moths have to fly at some point! 

 

There were 3 new species for 2025, the best were Cambs earliest record of a Barred Hook-tip, and a lovely Pinion-spotted Pug, sadly deceased (which I missed out on last year).

A rather dark Lunar Marbled Brown was the 3rd moth and amazingly rarer than the Pinion-spotted Pug, with just 1 previous garden record in 2023.

 

Numbers not too bad for my garden with Brindled Beauty at its peak currently.

 

The trap remains on and when the wind dies down, netting at dusk is the order of the day.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 68 species

15/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Barred Hook-tip 1 [NFY]
Lunar Marbled Brown 1 [NFY]
Pinion-spotted Pug 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 6
Brindled Pug 1
Clouded Drab 5
Common Quaker 4
Double-striped Pug 2
Hebrew Character 1
Muslin Moth 2
Nut-tree Tussock 4
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Spectacle 1

Micro Moths 

Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Pinion-spotted Pug

Barred Hook-tip

Lunar Marbled Brown

 

Wet, but much needed

A period of wet conditions currently, but not particularly cold or windy, with temperatures hovering around 8 degrees last night the trap was on once more.

Quite a different set of moths compared to Saturday night.

The top pair were new species for the year, the ever reliable Knot Grass, a common moth here and multi-brooded until September, and the much less common April moth, Powdered Quaker. 

Hit and miss now for the rest of the week, it's worth a punt.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 65 species

14/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Knot Grass 1 [NFY]

Powdered Quaker 1 [NFY]
Angle Shades 1
Brindled Beauty 3
Clouded Drab 4
Common Quaker 2
Double-striped Pug 1
Garden Carpet 2
Hebrew Character 3

Latticed Heath 1
Nut-tree Tussock 3

Streamer 1

Micro Moths 

Alucita hexadactyla 1

Emmelina monodactyla 1

Epiphyas postvittana 1

 

Powdered Quaker

Knot Grass

 

Another load of new moths

A similar catch to Friday night, Saturday night yielded yet more variety and some scarcer Carpet species putting in an appearance.

Moth of the night was only my 2nd garden record of Water Carpet (last seen in 2023). 

Despite the milder temperatures of 10c, the micros were really a no-show, or was it because I was out and didn't work the trap after dusk, who knows.

The FUN lure attracted the first Pammene suspectana of the year. 

We enter a quiet period not probably, with lower night time temperatures and firmly in-between seasons.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 63 species

12/04/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths
 

Brindled Pug 1 [NFY]
Chocolate-tip 1 [NFY]
Least Black Arches 1 [NFY]
Oak-tree Pug 1 [NFY]
Streamer 2 [NFY]
Water Carpet 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 2
Clouded Drab 1
Common Quaker 2
Double-striped Pug 1
Garden Carpet 2
Hebrew Character 2
Nut-tree Tussock 1

Micro Moths 

Pammene suspectana 1 [NFY] (to fun lure)

Epiphyas postvittana 1
Mompha epilobiella 1

 

Water Carpet

Chocolate-tip

Least Black Arches

Mompha epilobiella

Oak-tree Pug

Pammene suspectana

Streamer