Welcome

Hello and welcome to my moth Blog. I now reside in a small village in East Cambridgeshire called Fordham. My Blog's aim is to promote and encourage others to participate in the wonderful hobby that is Moth-trapping.
Moth records are vital for building a picture of our ecosystem around us, as they really are the bottom of the food chain. They are an excellent early indicator of how healthy a habitat is. I openly encourage people to share their findings via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
So why do we do it? well for some people it is to get an insight into the world of Moths, for others it is to build a list of species much like 'Twitching' in the Bird world. The reason I do it....you just never know what you might find when you open up that trap! I hope to show what different species inhabit Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties.
On this Blog you will find up-to-date records and pictures.
I run a trap regularly in my garden and also enjoy doing field trips to various localities over several different counties.
Please also check out the links in the sidebar to the right for other people's Blogs and informative Websites.
Thanks for looking and happy Mothing!

KEY

NFY = New Species For The Year
NFG = New Species For The Garden
NEW! = New Species For My Records

Any Species highlighted in RED signifies a totally new species for my records.

If you have any questions or enquiries then please feel free to email me
Contact Email : bensale@rocketmail.com

My Latest Notables and Rarities

Saturday, 7 November 2009

A roundup of the Best Moths of 2009

Well this was hard to keep to 10! but with no less than 40 new species this year it was very difficult....so here's the best of the best, in no particular order........

1. Great Oak Beauty, a Moth that has been quite a scarcity in Essex, so one night back in June Graham and I were pleased to find a healthy population at Thorndon Country Park.

2. Tree-lichen Beauty, again found at Thorndon Country Park being attracted to my 160w MBT as opposed to the other two 125wMV another scrace Essex species.

3. Rosy Marbled, we found loads of tormentil on the forest floor and we were sure that Rosy Marbled would reside at Thorndon Country Park, we were lucky to get one this year.

4. Pretty Chalk Carpet, a beautiful Moth found at Hatfield Forest in the Spring, attracted to th 40w Actinic

5. Getting back to my Garden this stunning Dotted Chestnut turned up on the only night that I run the 40w Actinic (as the 160w MBT blew the night before) surely a blessing in disguise!

6. Scarce Bordered Straw, with a great influx of migrants this year not only did I get Bordered Straw, my Garden also managed this beauty, not uncommon in certain years but rarely recorded this far North-West of the County.

7. Vapourer Moth (Male & Female) the female I found in its caterpillar form munching on my Apple tree, I kept it and reared it and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the female, I left her outside to call for a male but no luck...on the previous night hough I was lucky enough to attract one to light at Parndon Wood.

8. Oak Eggar, 3 turning up on one night a first for my Garden and a pleasure to photograph and handle (very gently I may add)

9. Flounced Chestnut, a very mint conditioned sample turned up at our last of the 3 field trips we made to Thorndon Country Park, for both Graham and I this was a new Moth.

10. Dark Brocade, very lucky to get 2 of these, a first this year in my Garden and a rare Moth in Essex usually found more North.

The trap is still being run on mild nights and as the possibility of something unusual turning up gets slimmer and slimmer.............
Here's to next year everybody!

Posted by Bennyboymothman at 23:12

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