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, 25 July 2020

Two new Nemophora species for my records

At work the last few weeks, I have been lucky to be able to glance regularly at the flora on the estate.

Whilst doing so, I've spotted many butterflies, moths and other insects.

On the 13th of July I was strimming and raking a patch of stinging nettles away from a small piece of chalk grassland next to our office car park at the Box Moor Trust Centre.
In the car park is plenty of Knapweed, Lady's Bedstraw, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Field Scabious, the latter is a foodplant associated with the day-flying longhorn moth, Nemophora metallica.

A quick scan whilst in the area, revealed 2 moths dancing around the heads of the flowers, with the breeze they weren't keen on settling so I managed to coax one into a pot when it got near the ground.

On closer inspection, Nemophora metallica has such beautiful green eyes.

The next day he was released (A male with long antennae) in the same spot.

Roll on to the end of the week, and on the 17th of July I was checking on some sheep that were grazing a scrubby area on the edge of Bovingdon Brickworks, when, walking back, I spotted another brightly coloured day-flying moth feeding from a Teasel in flower.

It turned out to be my first ever Nemophora cupriacella, a female this time and my 8th species (out of 10 possible in the family) that I've recorded in this Country.

I still need to find fasciella and minimella… maybe one day!


Nemophora cupriacella


Nemophora metallica
Posted by Bennyboymothman at 21:28

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