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

Wednesday 24 August 2022

Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 18/08/22

Exactly one month to this date, I last ran traps at Chippenham Fen, partly due to some cooler less favourable nights and coupled with the fact that I took nearly 3 weeks to full recover from covid (The tiredness that ensued even after testing negative was incredulous).
 
So it was nice to get out and run some traps at my local nature reserve once more.
It's amazing how many species I get there, and not at my home trap. (well not yet anyhow) 
This may be to do with the trap in the garden facing away from the direction of the habitat? who knows...

The Macros were a bit thin on the ground once more, and as always the interest was with the micro moths.
 
The Chevron was a beauty, but it continued to refuse to lay flat after trying every trick in the book, so an underwing shot it was! 
There were lots of second broods of macros, the notable ones included both species of the Swallow Prominent and a White Ermine.
I also nearly trod on a spectacular Red Underwing, as I walked from one trap to another!

One particular moth did catch my eye early on in the evening, a fairly distinctive moth (looking in the books at it for years on end) it feeds on Fleabane and Spikenard and goes by the sassy name of Apodia bifractella. Not in the best of conditions mind but a new species for me, so very welcome.

There were also some lovely forms of Epinotia nisella observed, a couple of fresh ones were retained for photos.
Just the one Caloptilia was found, which probably is honoratella, as i've taken it from here before (dissection). 
All in all, 153 species were recorded, a pleasing amount for mid-August.
 

18/08/22 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 3 traps, 125w Mercury Robinson Trap, 250w Clear Mercury Robinson Trap and 40w Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Angle Shades
Barred Hook-tip
Blood-vein
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Brown-veined Wainscot
Burnished Brass
Cabbage Moth
Centre-barred Sallow
Chevron
Chinese Character
Common Carpet
Common Rustic
Common Wainscot
Common Wave
Copper Underwing
Dark Spectacle
Dingy Footman
Dingy Shell
Double-striped Pug
Drinker
Dusky Thorn
Flame Carpet
Flame Shoulder
Frosted Orange
Gold Spot
Green Carpet
Large Yellow Underwing
Latticed Heath
Lesser Broad-bordered YU
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Light Emerald
Lime-speck Pug
Marbled Minor sp
Nutmeg
Orange Swift
Pale Prominent
Peach Blossom
Peacock Moth
Pine Hawk-moth
Pinion-streaked Snout
Pretty Chalk Carpet
Red Underwing
Riband Wave
Ruby Tiger
Sallow Kitten
Scorched Carpet
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shaded Broad-bar
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Single-dotted Wave
Slender Pug
Small Blood-vein
Small Fan-footed Wave
Small Rufous
Small Square-spot
Snout
Spectacle
Square-spot Rustic
Straw Dot
Straw Underwing
Swallow Prominent
Tawny-barred Angle
Toadflax Pug
Turnip Moth
Vine's Rustic
White-line Dart
White-point
Willow Beauty
Yellow Shell
Yellow-barred Brindle 

Micro Moths
 
Acentria emphemerella
Acleris comariana/laterana
Acrobasis advenella
Acrobasis suavella
Adaina microdactyla
Agapeta hamana
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix arenella
Agriphila geniculea
Agriphila selasella
Agriphila tristella
Anacampsis blattariella/populella
Apodia bifractella
Apotomis betuletana
Argyresthia albistria
Argyresthia bonnetella
Argyresthia goedartella
Argyrotaenia ljungiana
Bactra sp
Blastobasis adustella
Borkhausenia fuscescens
Bucculatrix bechsteinella
Bucculatrix cidarella
Caloptilia sp (prob honaratella)
Cameraria ohridella
Carcina quercana
Cataclysta lemnata
Celypha lacunana
Celypha rosaceana
Chilo phragmitella
Clavigesta purdeyi
Cochylidia implicitana
Cochylis dubitana
Cochylis molliculana
Coleophora alcyonipennella/frischella
Cydia pomonella
Cydia splendana
Dichrorampha simpliciana
Ectoedemia decentella
Elachista bisulcella
Elachista obliquella
Elophila nymphaeata
Emmelina monodactyla
Emmetia marginea
Endothenia ericetana
Endrosis sarcitrella
Epinotia nisella
Epinotia ramella
Epiphyas postvittana
Ethmia dodecea
Eudonia mercurella
Eudonia pallida
Euzophera pinguis
Evergestis limbata
Evergestis pallidata
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Homoeosoma sinuella
Hypatima rhomboidella
Mompha propinquella
Monopis laevigella
Nephopterix angustella
Nomophila noctuella
Nymphula nitidulata
Pamdemis heparana
Pammene aurita
Pandemis corylana
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia nebulella
Parornix sp
Phyllonorycter klemannella
Pleuroptya ruralis
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella
Pyrausta aurata
Pyrausta despicata
Scrobipalpa ocellatella
Swammerdamia pyrella
Tinea trinotella
Udea ferrugalis
Yponomeuta cag/mal/pad
 
125w MV Robinson Trap

Acleris laterana comariana

Apodia bifractella

Bucculatrix cidarella

Caloptilia sp

Centre-barred Sallow

Chevron

Epinotia nisella

Epinotia nisella

Gold Spot

Red Underwing

 

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