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

Friday, 10 May 2024

What a pair!

A warm day again on Tuesday with highs of 18 degrees, but the night dipped once more under clear skies to 9.5c, not tragic, but the moths thought so!
It was a tad breezy as well, so I didn't bother netting at dusk.
 
2 more Puss Moths came to the trap, both males, and a second Epiblema scutulana was noteworthy.
 
Best moths definitely went to the classic pair of Lychnis and Campion, i've never scored both species in one night, though a couple of years ago I did get each on back-to-back nights.

These two species are quite often confused, but when you get them next to each other they become quite different. In fact I think the Lyhnis looks more like a Tawny Shears than a Campion. Of course those two are from the genus Hadena, whereas the Campion is Sideridis, but hey i'm merely waffling on!
 
A pair of micro moths were also new for the year bringing the nightly total to 4 new for year species.
 
Moth garden list for 2024 stands at 137 species
 
07/05/24 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Campion 1 [NFY]
Lychnis 1 [NFY]
Common Pug 2
Garden Carpet 2
Pale Mottled Willow 1
Pebble Prominent 1
Puss Moth 2
Shuttle-shaped Dart 3


Micro Moths

Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella 1 [NFY]
Swammerdamia pyrella 1 [NFY]
Epiblema scutulana
Epiphyas postvittana 2

Campion

Lychnis & Campion

Lychnis

Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella

Rustic Shoulder-knot

Swammerdamia pyrella

 

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