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, 13 August 2011

A new Macro & Micro

Two traps out last night as it looks nice and balmy, 1x 125w MV Robinson and my new 160w MBT Tripod set-up, ready to take on holiday with me to Slovenia.

Not a bad night, although my tripod 160w MBT blew as it got too wet, thank god I have a spare bulb, luckily the 125 MV was still running although pretty soaked.
Usual suspects but amongst that included 2 firsts in the shape of Purple Clay and Eudonia trunciolella, also a garden first Sallow Kitten
I nearly discounted the Purple Clay for a Square-spotted Clay, as you can see them side by side they are quite different!


Catch Report - 11/08/11 - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap - Farmland/back garden


Macro Moths


1x Brimstone Moth
2x Cloaked Minor
1x Clouded Border
1x Common Carpet
9x Common Rustic
2x Common Wainscot
4x Dark Arches
2x Double-striped Pug
2x Double Square-spot
2x Dusky Sallow
2x Flame Shoulder
1x Garden Carpet
4x Green Carpet
2x Heart & Dart
6x Large Yellow Underwing
2x Latticed Heath
1x Least Carpet
9x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1x Lesser Yellow Underwing
2x Maple Pug
2x Mouse Moth
1x Oak Hook-tip
7x Orange Swift
1x Purple Clay [NEW!]
1x Red Twin-spot Carpet
6x Riband Wave
2x Rosy Rustic
2x Ruby Tiger
2x Rustic
2x Sallow Kitten
1x Scarce Footman
11x Setaceous Hebrew Character
5x Shuttle-shaped Dart
2x Silver-Y
1x Small Waved Umber
2x Smoky Wainscot
2x Spectacle
5x Square-spotted Clay
3x Straw Underwing
1x Svensson's Copper Underwing
1x Swallow Prominent
10x Uncertain
1x Vine's Rustic



Purple Clay












Square-spotted Clay & Purple Clay










Sallow Kitten









Micro Moths

1x Eudonia trunciolella [NEW!]
3x Cnephasia sp.
9x Agriphila tristella
3x Agriphila straminella [NFY]
2x Emmelina monodactyla
1x Udea prunalis
6x Brown House-moth Hofmannophila pseudospretella
5x Mother of Pearl Pleuroptya ruralis
9x Agapeta hamana
2x Agapeta zoegana
9x Scoparia ambigualis
2x Eucosma ombumbratana
4x Cochylis atricapitana
4x Chrysoteuchia culmella
3x Phycita roborella
3x Batia unitella
1x Crambus perlella



Eudonia trunciolella












Agapeta zoegana - Orange Form




Posted by Bennyboymothman at 12:04

3 comments:

  1. Skev13 August 2011 at 12:27

    Nice Purple Clay - all the ones I've caught have been a bit knackered and won't sit for a photo.

    Blended bulbs are a good choke-less alternative to MV but they are highly susceptible to blowing in rain ... I should have mentioned that before. I've never had an MV bulb go yet despite having traps out in the garden during horrendous downpours, but I won't run my 160W MBT, 250W MV or especially my 250W metal halide if rain is possible.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sean Foote13 August 2011 at 13:56

    I suspect your moth is another Square-spotted Clay. I occassionally get Purple Clay in the garden and they always have very clear white kidney marks. This looks more like your moth: http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=1369

    Sean

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bennyboymothman13 August 2011 at 17:55

    Yeah I thought so too, but it's been gen det as a Purple Clay, the moth didn't die just had a look at the clasper's, although quite a light form. Females and males also differ in colouration in most instances.

    ReplyDelete

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