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

Monday, 11 August 2014

Finally a Tree-lichen Beauty!

A combined catch result for this week chaps, as I haven't had much time to update thy blog.
Being officially married now means that my mothing exploits will apparently subdue over the years to come (but not too soon I must add!)
I trapped on the 6th, 8th and 9th this week with pretty mixed results but with a downward trend starting to happen as we go into the beginning of the end....or is it?

There was me going through the trap each time expecting to not be that thrilled with late Summer catches (Yes in the moth world it is nearing Autumn already) then to stumble upon rare and interesting moths in each of the three session.
6th was the Cydia amplana night, on the 8th star of the show was Acrolepiopsis assectella, both completely new moths for me. The on the 9th after EVERYBODY else has had one, finally I managed a Tree-lichen Beauty....it's never too late is it!

Also a Footman needs checking for Hoary.

All in all a good end to the week trapping.

Catch Report - 06-08-09/08/14 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap



Macro Moths

1x Tree-lichen Beauty [NFG]
1x Small Waved Umber [NFG]
2x Lesser Swallow Prominent [NFY]
6x Square-spot Rustic [NFY]
1x Vapourer Moth [NFY]
3x Angle Shades
3x Black Arches
3x Brimstone Moth
1x Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1x Cloaked Minor
1x Common Carpet
22x Common Rustic
3x Dark Arches
1x Dot Moth
2x Double-striped Pug
2x Dun-bar
3x Dusky Thorn 
2x Flame Shoulder
8x Flounced Rustic
1x Green Carpet
5x Large Yellow Underwing
1x Least Carpet
42x Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
1x Lesser Yellow Underwing
1x Maiden's Blush
2x Maple Pug
2x Marbled Beauty
1x Nut-tree Tussock
1x Oak Hook-tip
4x Orange Swift
2x Pale Mottled Willow
1x Poplar Hawk-moth 
1x Red Twin-spot Carpet
11x Riband Wave
1x Scarce Footman 
4x September Thorn
3x Setaceous Hebrew Character
6x Shuttle-shaped Dart
1x Silver-Y
1x Small Emerald 
1x Small Rivulet
4x Spectacle
2x Square-spotted Clay
1x Straw Dot
5x Straw Underwing
1x Uncertain
1x Vine's Rustic
10x Willow Beauty
2x Yellow Shell 

Micro Moths

1x Acrolepiopsis assectella [NEW!]
1x Cydia amplana [NEW!]
1x Ypsolopha sequella [NFG]
1x Dichrorampha acuminatana [NFG]
1x Pyrausta purpuralis [NFG]
1x Mompha divisella [NFG]
6x Agriphila geniculea [NFY] 
2x Ypsolopha parenthesella [NFY]
4x Evergestis forficalis
1x Hypsopygia costalis
4x Amblyptilia acanthadactyla
3x Eurrhypara hortulata
1x Mompha subbistrigella
1x Monopis laevigella
2x Endotricha flammealis
15x Blastobasis adustella
2x Emmelina monodactyla
2x Eudonia mercurella
1x Ypsolopha dentella
2x Trachycera advenella
1x Trachycera suavella
3x Carcina quercana
7x Epiphyas postvittana
1x Paronix sp
1x Celypha lacunana
1x Apotomis betuletana
3x Argyrotaenia ljungiana
5x Agriphila straminella
2x Phycita roborella
6x Agriphila tristella
2x Spilonota ocellana
1x Caloptilia betulicola
2x Argyresthia goedartella
1x Argyresthia pruniella
5x Plutella xylostella
2x Batia unitella
1x Hofmannophila pseudospretella

Acrolepiopsis assectella










Agriphila geniculea










Lesser Swallow Prominent











Dichrorampha acuminatana










Mompha divisella











Mompha subbistrigella









Tree-lichen Beauty












Square-spot Rustic










Ypsolopha parenthesella











Vapourer Moth
Posted by Bennyboymothman at 16:49

4 comments:

  1. Lucy @ A Natural Interlude13 August 2014 at 18:58

    Super set of photos with the new camera, Ben, and very many congratulations on your wedding :-)!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stuart Green13 August 2014 at 20:44

    I too have had a tree lichen beauty in my light trap here in Plymouth on July 24th. The ID was throwing me until I saw your photo. Very pleased to find one in my small, urban back yard!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bennyboymothman14 August 2014 at 20:19

    Thanks to both of you :) the camera is tricky at times but slowly getting use to it. Glad to help Stuart, always the main aim of posting regular posts. All the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. RJB26 August 2014 at 08:40

    Congratulations to you both!
    A fabulous and very informative blog so keep it up.
    Richard

    ReplyDelete

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