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, 29 May 2023

A cracking meadow within walking distance

There is a super meadow probably nearing 100 acres in size and just down the road from me.
We decided, as a family to have a walk around there and have a picnic on Saturday.
I also did some netting with my little boy.

A great selection of moths were netted and found resting on the leaves, the list of which is below.

Best moths were two new species for me! Antispila metallella and Lampronia morosa. Also a probable (retained for dissection) Elachista subnigrella, with only one previous county record and in my area, it would be a corking record, the moth superficially looks good.
 
Another moth was also retained, a Pyrausta that is probably purpuralis, but the concave kink in the wing points a bit to ostrinalis, again a very rare moth with just two records from nearby Wicken Fen. Could this species be also here?
 
I also netted two probable Bucculatrix ulmifoliae, both also retained to confirm and a possible new for county Ocnerostoma piniariella, with ringed antennae and dark edges to the segments, it fits well but once again will have to be dissected.

Other rarely seen moths included Adela croesella, Cedestis subfasciella, 2x Cydia conicolana, Pseudococcyx posticana & Spuleria flavicaput.

On that night, Leslie Gardiner and myself ran some traps there, post to follow but it was extremely cold sadly.

27/05/23 - Moths observed & netted - Fordham Meadow

Adela croesella 1
Aethes tesserana 1
Antispila metallella 1
Aspilapteryx tringipennella 1
Bucculatrix ulmifoliae 2 [TBC]
Cedestis subfasciella 1
Cydia conicolana 2
Dichrorampha plumbagana 1
Elachista argentella 1
Epinotia rubiginosana 1 
Elachista subnigrella 1 [TBC]
Lampronia morosa 4
Micropterix calthella 1
Nematopogon metaxella 1
Ocnerostoma piniariella 1 [TBC]
Pseudococcyx posticana 1
Pyrausta sp 1 [TBC]
Small Yellow Underwing 5
Spuleria flavicaput 1

Ocnerostoma piniariella

Pseudococcyx posticana

Bucculatrix ulmifoliae TBC

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

Antispila metallella

Lampronia morosa

Elachista subnigrella TBC

Aethes tesserana

Adela croesella

Cydia conicolana

Pyrausta sp TBC

Small Yellow Underwing

Spuleria flavicaput


Posted by Bennyboymothman at 20:34

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