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

Thursday, 25 October 2018

Field Trip - 27/07/18 - Ashwell Quarry - North Herts

My last trip of the year to Ashwell Quarry was on the 27th of July, I had pushed my luck for going out on trips this year with a newborn baby welcomed into the household in February, so it was tough to do what I managed to get done, and hence why only now i'm posting fully about the trip!

Trevor joined me and set up a few traps of his own, so we were well spread out across the reserve.

With a similiar cast of moths to the trip that was 10 days prior to this field work, there were however some good surprises in-store for us upon inspecting the traps over the 5 hours we were there.

Highlights of the trip were...

4! New Micro moths for my records, they were. Ancylosis oblitella (presumed migrant/wanderer and rare for the County) Chrysoclista linneella, (5th County record and trapped on the edge of the arable field) at least 4 Rhopobota stagnana and Bactra furfurana (2nd County record).

The second Oak Processionary for my records and the most northerly record for the County.

A further two records of Aristotelia ericinella, both to Trevor's trap in the open field.

Gypsonoma minutana. Quite a local moth in Herts and only my second ever record.

A funny looking Blastobasis species is awaiting dissection, it is probably a well-marked adustella but I wouldn't want to completely rule out vittata. 
And also a rather nice looking Scrobipalpa which will be dissected also.

Again, many thanks to Graeme Smith for the below dissections confirming the species and for Trevor in helping me with lugging the gear about and packing up.

Ashwell, we shall be back next year!

Below is the full list.

65 Macro and 86 Micro species recorded.

Catch Report - 27/07/18 - Ashwell Quarry - 1x 250w Frosted MV Robinson Trap, 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap, 1x twin 20w Wemite Actinic

Macro Moths

Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Cloaked Minor
Common Carpet
Common  Rustic
Common Wainscot
Copper Underwing
Dark Arches
Dark Umber
Dingy Footman
Dun-bar
Dusky Sallow
Dusky Thorn
Dwarf Cream Wave
Fern
Flame Shoulder
Garden Carpet
Herald
Large Twin-spot Carpet
Latticed Heath
Least Carpet
Least Yellow Underwing
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Lesser Yellow Underwing
Lesser-spotted Pinion
Lime-speck Pug
Lunar-spotted Pinion
Lychnis
Maiden's Blush
Maple Pug
Marbled Beauty
Mouse Moth
Oak Hook-tip
Oak Processionary
Pebble Hook-tip
Poplar Hawk-moth
Purple Bar
Riband Wave
Rosy Minor
Ruby Tiger
Rustic
Scalloped Oak
Scarce Footman
Scorched Carpet
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shaded Broad-bar
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver-Y
Single-dotted Wave
Small Fan-foot
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Waved Umber
Smoky Wainscot
Snout
Spectacle
Straw Dot
Straw Underwing
Tree-lichen Beauty
Turnip Moth
Uncertain
White-spotted Pug
Willow Beauty
Yarrow Pug
Yellow-tail
Yellow Shell

Micro Moths


Acentria ephemerella
Acleris aspersana
Acleris forsskaleana
Acleris laterana/comariana
Acleris notana/ferrugana
Acleris variegana
Acompsia cinerella
Acrobasis advenella
Agapeta hamana
Agapeta zoegana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix arenella
Agonopterix purpurea
Agriphila inquinatella
Agriphila straminella
Agriphila tristella
Anania hortulata
Ancylosis oblitella [NEW!]
Archips podana
Argyresthia pruniella
Argyrotaenia ljungiana
Aristotelia ericinella
Aspilapteryx tringipennella
Bactra furfurana [NEW!] (gen det)
Blastobasis adustella
Blastobasis lacticolella
Borkhausenia fuscescens
Bryotropha terrella
Brotropha senectella (gen det)
Cacoecimorpha pronubana
Cameraria ohridella
Carcina quercana
Celypha lacunana
Celypha rosaceana
Chrysoclista linneella [NEW!]
Chrysoteuchia culmella
Cnephasia sp
Cochylimorpha straminea
Cochylis atricapitana
Cochylis hybridella
Crambus perlella
Crassa unitella
Cydia pomonella
Cydia splendana
Donacaula mucronella
Emmelina monodactyla
Endotricha flammealis
Epiphyas postvittana
Eucosma hohenwartiana
Eucsoma cana
Eudemis profundana
Eudonia lacustrata
Euzophera pinguis
Evergestis forficalis
Grapholita janthinana
Gypsonoma minutana
Helycystogramma rufescens
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Hypsopygia costalis
Lathronympha strigana
Metzneria metzneriella
Monopis crocapitella
Monopis weaverella
Notocelia roborana
Oegoconia sp
Pandemis heparana
Paraswammerdamia nebulella
Parornix sp
Phycita roborella
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Pyrausta aurata
Rhopobota stagnana [NEW!]
Scoparia basistrigalis
Scrobipalpa costella
Scythropia crataegella
Spilonota laricana (gen det)
Spilonota ocellana
Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Stigmella sp
Syncopacma sp
Tinea trinotella
Yponomeuta evonymella
Yponomeuta plumbella
Yponomeuta sp
Ypsolopha scabrella

Ancylosis oblitella

Bactra furfurana

Blastobasis sp

Bryotropha senectella

Chrysoclista linneella

Notocelia roborana

Rhopobota stagnana

Rhopobota stagnana

Scrobipalpa sp

Small Fan-footed Wave

Spilonota laricana

Yarrow Pug

Ypooneuta plumbella

Gypsonoma minutana

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