Marvellous May

Well what an end to May it has been, with sky high temperatures pushing the mid 30's at one point, and some tropical nights around 20 degrees at the minimum!

Moths went crazy, then slowed down a little when it was too hot, then a slightly cooler night produced an overload to a point where I ran out of pots and gave up counting.

 

Usually mid-June onwards I tend to just to count the new species and avoid a full count due to work/family commitments.

This year however, with this heatwave, we are running two weeks ahead of schedule.

 

Monday night was no different, with at least 60 species seen.

 

Notable moths included the stunning Scarlet Tiger and only the second garden record of  Tachystola acroxantha, a very common moth for some people from what I’ve heard.

 

During the day the AND lure attracted 5 Orange-tailed Clearwing, unfortunately a few were deceased in the heat so I’ve since moved the bucket trap out of the hot afternoon sunshine, lesson learned!

 

This heat has been bloody challenging with photographing the catch, some moths literally just scarper as soon as you tip them from a pot, even after a little dose of c02!

 

The nights got even more sultry as the week progressed. 

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 283 species 

 

25/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Buff Ermine 1 [NFY]
Common Marbled Carpet 1 [NFY]

Cypress Carpet 1 [NFY]

Lunar Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]
Mottled Rustic 1 [NFY]

Orange-tailed Clearwing 5 [NFY] (To AND lure)
Scarlet Tiger 1 [NFY]
Small Blood-vein 1 [NFY]
Treble Brown Spot 1 [NFY]


Micro Moths

 

Blastodacna hellerella 3 [NFY]

Carpatolechia fugitivella 1 [NFY]
Ephestia sp 2 [NFY]

Gelechid sp 1 (TBC)
Grapholita janthinana 1 [NFY]
Metalampra italica 1 [NFY] 
Scoparia ambigualis 1 [NFY]
Tachystola acroxantha 1 [NFY]

 

Blastodacna hellerella

Carpatolechia fugitivella

Cypress Carpet

Lunar Yellow Underwing

Scarlet Tiger

Small Blood-vein

 

Things went a bit mad

Starting to fall behind now! 

This catch was from Sunday night and featured over 60 species in total, probably more, but from now on it is nigh on impossible counting every single moth, occasionally I will do a full species count, but not this week! 

Some really nice species are now on the wing and fairly early as well.

Crackers like the colourful Cream-bordered Green Pea was my favourite, what an exquisite name and fully apt indeed!

 

Wood Carpet was a nice early surprise, a less than annual moth here which usually flies between mid-June and September! I have never caught this species before Common Carpet (Though only just as I have since caught a Common Carpet last night). 

 

The first of the stunning Elephant Hawk-moths turned up. It was extremely flighty straight out of the fridge and allowed me to take a few shots before zooming skywards.

 

On the micro moth front Ectoedemia albifasciella was a new tiny moth species for the garden, very similar to subbimaculella but with differences in visible markings.

 

One Minor was dissected to reveal Rufous Minor, all others were Marbled the other night. 

 

A probable Nemapogon variatella is also another new species for the garden, taken to the API Clearwing lure (Intended for Six-belted Clearwing) overnight. It looks spot on for it with its bright white head, sadly a little squished fumbling with a pot, retained.

 

Things get busier going forwards... 

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 267 species 

 

24/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Cream-bordered Green Pea 1 [NFY]
Elephant Hawk-moth 1 [NFY]
Maiden's Blush 1 [NFY]

White-spotted Pug1 [NFY]

Wood Carpet 1 [NFY]


Micro Moths

Anania hortulata 1 [NFY]
Clepsis consimilana 1 [NFY]
Cochylimorpha straminea 1 [NFY]
Ectoedemia albifasciella 1 [NFG]
Elachista maculicerusella 1 [NFY]
Ethmia quadrillella 1 [NFY]
Nemapogon variatella to API Lure 1 [NFG]

Tinea pellionella 1 [NFY] 

 

Wood Carpet

Anania hortulata

Clepsis consimilana

Cochylimorpha straminea

Cream-bordered Green Pea

Ectoedemia albifasciella

Elachista maculicerusella

Elephant Hawk-moth

Maiden's Blush

Tinea pellionella

 

 

 

Wicken Fen - Field Trip - 23rd May

I was invited to trap at Wicken Fen for a mini blitz of two areas at once, Adventurer's Fen to the South-west of Wicken Fen, and several trappers also around Sedge Fen and visitors area.

I was just to the south of the visitor centre, positioned with 4 traps primed and ready for the arrival of moths.

I did a bit of dusking but there were very few moths that I saw flying, as it was fairly breezy at time. Tapping a few trees and bushes dislodged a couple of specimens to the back of the net, but the night soon closed in and the traps were on.

Two of the traps were a bit exposed and did not fare very well, I opted to close down the actinic trap as it was just full of flies and only a couple of moths seemed interested.

But the 125w clear near the car park area did very well for variety, even better though was the trap that never lets me down, the 250w clear robbo.

Most of the nights moths and species came to this lamp and by the time I packed up at 2am I had amassed an incredible 157 species, for May this was very pleasing indeed.

 

Highlights included several Dentated Pug, one was pretty fresh and good to see, as all my previous ones have been battered.

15 Poplar Hawk-moth was a nightly record for me. 

 

There were surprises of fresh Clouded Drab & Powdered Quaker, both are my latest ever records, and looked particularly funny flying alongside Elephant Hawk-moths! 

 

There were also a few migrants present including one Delicate and five Small Mottled Willows.

Best moth of the night were two examples of the tiny Vine Moth (Eupoecilia ambiguella) sadly both a bit worn.

A nice selection of moths and good to get together with a few other fellow trappers.

 

23/05/26 - Wicken Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Alder Moth
Angle Shades 
Brimstone Moth 
Brindled Pug 
Buff-tip 
Buff Ermine 
Burnished Brass 
Chocolate-tip 
Cinnabar 
Clouded-bordered Brindled 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Drab 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Pug 
Common Swift 
Common Wainscot 
Common Marbled Carpet 
Common Wave 
Common White Wave 
Coronet 
Coxcomb Prominent 
Cream-bordered Green Pea 10
Cream Wave 
Dark Arches 
Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet 
Delicate
Dentated Pug
Dog's Tooth 
Dotted Fan-foot 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Eyed Hawk-moth 
Figure of Eighty 
Flame 
Flame Shoulder 
Flame Wainscot 
Garden Carpet 
Green Carpet 
Green Pug 
Grey Pug 
Heart & Dart 
Iron Prominent 
Knot Grass 
Large Nutmeg 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath
Least Black Arches 
Leopard Moth 
Light Brocade 
Lime-speck Pug 
Light Emerald 
Marbled Minor 
Lobster Moth 
Marbled White-spot 
Miller
Mottled Pug 
Mottled Rustic 
Orange Footman 
Pale Oak Beauty 
Pale Prominent 
Pale Tussock 
Pebble Hook-tip 
Pebble Prominent 
Peacock Moth 
Peppered Moth 
Pinion-streaked Snout 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 15
Powdered Quaker 
Purple Bar 
Puss Moth 
Reed Dagger 
Reed Leopard 
Rustic Shoulder-knot 
Sandy Carpet 
Satyr Pug
Scorched Wing
Seraphim 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shuttle-shaped Dart 
Silver Barred 
Silver Y
Silver-ground Carpet 
Silky Wainscot 
Small Clouded Brindle 
Small Seraphim
Small Mottled Willow 5
Smoky Wainscot 
Snout 
Spruce Carpet 
Straw Dot 
Swallow Prominent 
Tawny Marbled Minor 
Tawny-barred Angle 
Treble Lines
Turnip Moth 
White Ermine 

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella 
Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Agapeta hamana 
Agonopterix purpurea
Anania hortulata 
Anania perlucidalis 
Aphomia sociella 
Brachmia inornatella 
Bryotropha affinis 
Bryotropha basaltinella 
Celypha cespitana 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha rosaceana 
Chilo phragmitella
Clepsis consimilana
Cochylidia implicitana
Coptoptriche marginea 
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella 
Coleophora amethystinella 
Cosmopterix lienigiella
Cosmopterix scribaiella
Crambus lathoniellus 
Elachista maculicerusella 
Elachista utonella
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana
Endrosis sarcitrella 
Epiphyas postvittana 
Epinotia immundana 
Ethmia quadrilella 
Eucosma cana 
Eudonia pallida 
Epermenia falciformis
Eupoecilia ambiguella 2
Evergestis forficalis
Evergestis limbata 
Glyphipterix thrasonella 
Hedya pruniana 
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Monopis weaverella 
Neocochylis molliculana 
Nemapogon koenigi 
Nematopogon metaxella 
Notocelia cynosbatella 
Notocelia trimaculana 
Pandemis cerasana 
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Phalonidia manniana 
Phyllonorycter viminiella
Plutella xylostella 
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 
Phtheochroa schreibersiana
Phyllonorycter stettinensis
Pterophorus pentadactyla
Ptycholoma lecheana
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia pyralella 
Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Syndemis musculana 
Tinea trinotella 
Tortrix viridana

Sunset at Wicken

The 250w Clear Robinson Trap

Ancylis mitterbacheriana

Chilo phragmitella

Dentated Pug

Elachista utonella

Eupoecilia ambiguella

Ptycholoma lecheana

Satyr Pug

Silky Wainscot

Small Mottled Willow

 

Another great catch of moths

A warm day of 28 degrees yesterday and the night held up nicely until after midnight where it went a little damp and cool.

Arriving home at 2.30am from Wicken Fen, I decided to go through the trap and turn it off so I could have a bit of extra sleep. 

The temperature dropped to 14 degrees, still very good for the time of year.

 

As a result there were probably still around 50 species in and around the trap, but I didn't count them all this time as I was too pooped, instead just potting up all the new ones. 

I managed to find 11, but probably missed a few more through tired eyes.

Brown Silver-line was the best moth and only my 2nd garden record after the first last year.

Dog's Tooth was nice to see and in fantastic condition too.

Micros dazzled with a large metallic green Coleophora. Expecting amethystinella, upon checking for the orange eyes, I was pleased to identify it as trifoli (On size and no range eyes). This isn't a common moth here, opposed to the regular alcyonipennella/frishella.

The first migrant Udea ferrugalis also turned up, alongside 3 Ostrinia nubilalis. No massively rare migrant moths but could there be one tonight? Who knows... only the moth gods. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 254 species 

 

23/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Brown Silver-line 1 [NFY]
Cabbage Moth 1 [NFY]
Dog's Tooth 1 [NFY]
Miller 1 [NFY]


Micro Moths

Bucculatrix cristatella [NFY]
Coleophora laricella 1 [NFY]
Coleophora trifoli 1 [NFY]
Cydia fagiglandana 1 [NFY]
Hypsopygia costalis 1 [NFY]
Ostrinia nubilalis 3 [NFY]
Udea ferrugalis 1 [NFY]

 

Udea ferrugalis

Brown Silver-line

Bucculatrix cristatella

Coleophora laricella

Coleophora trifolii

Dog's Tooth

Ostrinia nubilalis

 

More of the same!

A super repeat of yesterday night here, with a similar 75 species recorded overnight.

19 moths were new for the year, making it nearly 50 new ones over the past two night, unprecedented here for my garden, and it's only May! 

The days are warming a degree or two each day as we go towards a scorching bank holiday Monday.

Last night the minimum temperature in my garden was 19.4c at 4:30am, crazy.

I woke up at around 3:45am to go through the trap and was pleasantly surprised by how busy it was, the trap and walls were full of micro moths, and the constant buzzing from Cockchafer's was something i'm only used to from wasps, their must have been 15 of the blighter's.. well.. at least they don't eat the moths I suppose!

Highlights were 2 lovely Shark moths, one really well marked and streaky, a huge Privet Hawk-moth which was too lively for a photo, and countless micros that are featured in the full list below.

Out tonight so it'll be a late one! 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 243 species 

 

22/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Light Emerald 1 [NFY]

Privet Hawk-moth 1 [NFY]
Shark 2 [NFY]
Snout 1 [NFY]
Straw Dot 1 [NFY]
Bright-line Brown-eye 1
Brimstone Moth 1
Brindled Pug 1
Buff-tip 1
Cinnabar 2
Clouded Silver 1
Common Pug 2
Common Swift 2
Common Wainscot 1
Garden Carpet 1
Heart & Dart 2
Latticed Heath 1
Light Brocade 2
Marbled Minor 4
Middle-barred Minor 1
Mottled Pug 1
Muslin Moth 1
Nutmeg 1
Pale Prominent 1
Pale Tussock 4
Rustic Shoulder-knot 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Shears 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 2
Small Dusty Wave 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Treble Lines 3
Turnip Moth 4
Vine's Rustic 1
Willow Beauty 2
White Ermine 2
White-point 1

Micro Moths

Agapeta hamana 2 [NFY]
Argyresthia cupressella 2 [NFY]
Argyresthia spinosella 2 [NFY]
Elachista atricomella 1 [NFY]
Etainia decentella 2 [NFY]
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 1 [NFY]
Homoeosoma sinuella 1 [NFY]
Isotrias rectifasciana 1 [NFY]
Luquetia lobella 1 [NFY]
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 1 [NFY]
Parectopa ononidis 1 [NFY]
Parornix sp 1 [NFY]
Teleiodes luculella 1 [NFY]
Tineola bisselliella 1 [NFY]
Aphomia sociella 2
Argyresthia trifasciata 1
Aspilapteryx tringipennella 1
Celypha lacunana 1
Celypha rosaceana 1
Cnephasia sp 2
Cochylichroa atricapitana 1

Coptoptriche marginea 1 
Crambus lathoniellus 3
Cydia pomonella 1
Elachista argentella 1
Endrosis sarcitrella 1
Epiphyas postvittana 7
Eudonia angustea 1
Glyphipterix simpliciella 1
Hedya pruniana 1
Mompha subbistrigella 1
Monopis crocicapitella 4
Monopis laevigella 1
Neocochylis molliculana 2
Notocelia cynosbatella 2
Notocelia trimaculana 2
Platyedra subcinerea 1
Plutella xylostella 4
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 1

 

Tineola bisselliella

Agapeta hamana

Argyresthia spinosella

Etainia decentella

Isotrias rectifasciana

Luquetia lobella

Parectopa ononidis

Shark

Snout

Teleiodes luculella

 

 

Species overload!

It was really busy in my garden last night, not masses of numbers but as always, the species delivered.

The weather was calm and mild and with a hint of cloud, although this won't matter as we progress into the weekend, as the air mass we are currently importing is so mild that it is replacing any cooled down air that we lose out into the atmosphere.

I started netting at around 8pm and packed it in just after 9, netting around 40 moths of 15 species, several of them new, but dominated by Mompha subbistrigella and various Dichrorampha & Bryotropha species, the best was a pair of stunning Chrysoesthia drurella.

The list overnight went on and on, and I nearly ran out of pots when I woke up at 4am.

I make it 73 species which must be my highest May catch so far. 

30 species were new for the year, and a further 2 possibly 3 are new for the garden.

Satin Wave was a new garden macro moth, a moth I am familiar with from Herts and Essex, and a leaf mine from Hawthorn emerged revealing my first ever adult Stigmella crataegella.

Even better, a tiny grey Elachista was potted up and photographed to reveal the possibility of it being Elachista bedellella, a moth that hasn'e been seen in the county for 126 years! I've retained it for dissection.

 

There were too many other highlights to list, so i'll let the list below do the talking.

 

Never rains it pours in this country.

 

We go again tonight.... 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 224 species 

 

21/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

Bordered White 1 [NFY]
Cloaked Minor 1 [NFY]
Clouded Silver 1 [NFY]
Green Carpet 1 [NFY]
Large Nutmeg 1 [NFY]
Middle-barred Minor 1 [NFY]
Mottled Pug 1 [NFY]
Oak Hook-tip 2 [NFY]
Pale Oak Beauty 1 [NFY]
Pine Hawk-moth 1 [NFY]
Poplar Grey 1 [NFY]

Rufous Minor 1 [NFY] (Dissected)
Satin Wave 1 [NFG]

Spruce Carpet 1 [NFY]
Yellow Shell 2 [NFY]
Bright-line Brown-eye 1
Brimstone Moth 1
Cinnabar 1
Common Pug 1
Common Swift 4
Common Wainscot 1
Coronet 1
Flame Shoulder 1
Garden Carpet 3
Green Pug 2
Heart & Dart 3
Knot Grass 1
Large Yellow Underwing 1
Light Brocade 1
Lime-speck Pug 1
Marbled Minor 10
Nutmeg 1
Pale Prominent 1
Pale Tussock 5
Red Twin-spot Carpet 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 2
Shears 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 5
Small Dusty Wave 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Treble Lines 3
Turnip Moth 7
Vine's Rustic 1
Willow Beauty 2

Micro Moths 

Celypha rosaceana 1 [NFY]
Chrysoesthia drurella 2 [NFY] (netted)
Dichrorampha petiverella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Dichrorampha sedatana/aeratana 1 [NFG] (netted)
Epinotia bilunana 1 [NFY]
Evergestis limbata 1 [NFY]
Glyphipterix simpliciella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Hedya pruniana 1 [NFY]
Lyonetia clerkella 1 [NFY]

Nemapogon cloacella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Neocochylis molliculana 2 [NFY]

Notocelia trimaculana 1 [NFY]
Sitochroa verticalis 1 [NFY]
Stigmella crataegella 1 [NFG] (Emerged from Hawthorn mine)
Swammerdamia pyrella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Anthophila fabriciana 2 (netted)
Aphomia sociella 1
Bryotropha basaltinella 5 (2 netted)
Bucculatrix albedinella 1
Cochylichroa atricapitana 2
Dichrorampha plumbagana 3 (netted)
Elachista argentella 1
Elachista sp pos bedellella 1 (netted) (TBC)
Grapholita funebrana 3
Mompha subbistrigella 10+
Nemapogon granella 1 (netted)
Pyrausta aurata 1 (netted)
Tinea trinotella 2

 

Bordered White

Chrysoesthia drurella

Elachista pos bedellella

Epinotia bilunana

Large Nutmeg

Notocelia trimaculana

Pale Oak Beauty

Satin Wave

Stigmella crataegella