Green Theme

Saturday night the moth trap was switched on once more in the anticipation of catching some new moths.

 

It was a rather good night, with little wind and cloud cover once more, but because of the time of year it's still feeling a little chilly early morning.

 

Two stunning green species were observed before bedtime, a year first Merveille du Jour (always a treat) and two returning Red-green Carpets (the one photographed was particularly vibrant). 

 

A 2nd yearly record of Pink-barred Sallow was also worth mentioning, a scarce moth here.

 

The next few nights are still warm enough for some moth activity, so it's lights on! 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 656 species

11/10/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Merveille du Jour 1 [NFY] 

 

Red-green Carpet

Merveille du Jour

Pink-barred Sallow

Another couple of year listers

The weather is a bit dull lately and there is a chill in the air now early evening and first thing, with dewy conditions, kind of expected really.

For the time of year it is fairly mild, well.. Friday was fairly pleasant hitting 18 degrees, but the weekend has struggled under blankets of cloud. 

Friday night was a rather good catch, with lows of 13 degrees, cloud and little wind, 21 species was a very good return for mid October. 

My latest Pine Carpet was good to get, and there were two of them, they are also the first this year! Usually a July/August moth here in small numbers.

The second tick was not one, but 3 Phyllonorycter messaniella, a seemingly rare moth here for unknown reasons, and not seen for 4 years! 

Other species included several moth Mallows including a fresh one, and a couple of Acleris schalleriana.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 655 species

10/10/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Pine Carpet 2 [NFY] 

 

Micro Moths 

 

Phyllonorycter messaniella 3 [NFY] 

 

Phyllonorycter messaniella

Pine Carpet

 

Mallow

Acleris schalleriana

Couple of new ones, couple of migrants

Tuesday night saw a slightly warmer night and we had much needed cloud which was nice, especially as the moon is still rather bright and rising at around 8pm.

Two migrants were noted, a lovely 'dark' Dark Sword-grass and there were also 3 Udea ferrugalis to back it up.

The new species were November Moth (earliest by 6 days) and my earliest garden record of Red-line Quaker by 9 days, the trend year on year it seems, as we still hold onto mid to high teen temperatures during the day.

Another couple of Blair's Shoulder-knot were good to see, a moth that seems to be on the increase here, and a spied a furry caterpillar making a bid for freedom across the patio, potted up and later photographed, it was to be a White Ermine larvae.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 653 species

07/10/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

November Moth 1 [NFY] 

Red-line Quaker 1 [NFY]

 

White Ermine Caterpillar

Blair's Shoulder-knot

Dark Sword-grass

November Moth

Red-line Quaker

Udea ferrugalis

 

 

 

A good mixture of moths post storm

A blip of squally weather put to bed the idea of running my trap, so a few nights rest was welcome.

 

By Sunday night, the weather had calmed down somewhat and the trap was back on. 

 

There were two new species that attended the trap, the first of many Feathered Thorns and a sparkly Green-brindled Crescent, a common but stunning species. 

 

A single Rush Veneer was good to get, another rare species this year following on from how scarce the Diamond-back Moth has been in my garden.

A returning Grey-pine Carpet was good (Last seen in July) and both species of  Hypsopygia still hanging on, possibly my latest records of both.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 651 species

05/10/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Feathered Thorn 1 [NFY] 

Green-brindled Crescent 1 [NFY]

 

Feathered Thorn

Green-brindled Crescent

Grey-pine Carpet

Hypsopygia costalis

Hypsopygia glaucinalis

Nomophila noctuella

October moth fest

The start of October was the busiest i've ever known it in my garden trap, a lot of returning species of course, but with good numbers of Clancy's Rustic and L-album Wainscots, species that were unheard of inland 10 years ago.

Warm day-time temperatures and fairly mild nights, but blustery at times were the key feature of the weather.

Migrants are still very poor in my garden this year, a single Plutella xylostella on the 1st was only the 10th this year. 

The first two nights of October, featured some lovely variation of Beaded Chestnut.

 

A Caloptilia stigmatella was potted up as it was flitting around the actinic tube, this example being only the 3rd garden record with one in 2022 and one in March this year.

 

The only new moth was a Mallow on the 2nd, a welcome addition and annual in small numbers here.  

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 649 species

02/10/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Mallow 1 [NFY] 

 

Beaded Chestnut

Beaded Chestnut

Mallow

Red-green Carpet

The last post of September

Still some rather good moths turning up in my garden trap, despite some challenging conditions, although at the end of September the days were still warm and in the high teens here.

Monday night yielded a year first Pink-barred Sallow, a scarce visitor here, this only being my 3rd garden record, 1 a year in 3 separate years, and what a stunner it was.

Deep-brown Dart are having a fantastic year here (Although technically all of them here in the UK are lueneburgensis and not lutulenta, the latter appears further south within mainland Europe). 

Other highlights included yet more Sallows, a really good year for this species.

A super pale Beaded Chestnut was good to record as well as another Cypress Pug.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 648 species

29/09/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Pink-barred Sallow 1 [NFY] 

 

Typical Autumn Catch Here

Beaded Chestnut

Cypress Pug

Northern Deep-brown Dart

Pink-barred Sallow

Sallow f.flavescens

 

 

 

There's a Blair's

Amongst a rather healthy catch on Saturday night was a year first Blair's Shoulder-knot. 

It's certainly an odd looking moth that doesn't really look like any other species, in fact it doesn't even resemble its cousin, the Grey Shoulder-knot or the two Pinions for that matter, a really sleek customer with dark dashes over sombre grey tones.

Other good species included a 2nd Large Wainscot and Beaded Chestnut and a rather late and nicely coloured Small Square-spot.

Not much on the micro moth front lately, with just Epiphyas postvittana, Emmelina monodactyla and Eudonia angustea, but a nice Acleris variegana made a nice break from the norm.

There is still stuff to catch! 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 647 species

27/09/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Blair's Shoulder-knot 1 [NFY] 

 

Small Square-spot

Acleris variegana

Beaded Chestnut

Blair's Shoulder-knot

Large Wainscot

 

A good selection of Autumnal species

A really busy night in my garden trap on Friday night, with 28 species in total, with lots of late fliers like Oak Hook-tip, Beautiful Hook-tip , Endotricha flammealis & Carcina quercana, Brimstone Moths also going for a 3rd brood.

There were two new species for the year, 3x Sallows and 1x Deep-brown Dart (which maybe the same one that I missed on a previous night, although now sporting a big chunk out of it's wing).

Both species aren't usually very common in my garden, being overshadowed currently by the 3 Yellow Underwings (Large, Lesser & Broad-bordered). 

A second fresh Autumnal Rustic was good to see, as well as Acleris schalleriana & Monopis crocicapitella.

A trio of Turnip Moths also turned up, usually an underappreciated moth but i'll take anything lately.

Mothing weather has turned a bit dreary now, with night time temperatures lower than hoped for.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 646 species

26/09/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Deep-brown Dart 1 [NFY] 

Sallow 3 [NFY] 

 

Turnip Moth

Acleris schalleriana

Autumnal Rustic

Beautiful Hook-tip

Deep-brown Dart

Sallow

Sallows Male left, Female right

Turnip Moth

 

I spy with my Beady little eye

After checking quite a few Lunar Underwing, I finally scored with a nice fresh Beaded Chestnut, a year first nonetheless.

It is a very consistent moth looking at the date ranges over the past 5 years

Beaded Chestnut - 24/09/21 - 19/09/22 - 24/09/23 - 29/09/24 - 24/09/25

Apart from that and a healthy amount of Lunar Underwing & Black Rustics (5 a piece), there was only 1 other notable moth, a late Least Carpet. 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 644 species

24/09/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Beaded Chestnut 1 [NFY] 

Beaded Chestnut

Least Carpet

Lunar Underwing

Lunar Underwing

Lunar Underwing

A couple more to add to the list

Starting to catch up now, as the weather has gone rather polar at night recently, especially with these keen east winds.

Last Friday I managed a 2nd garden record of Four-spotted Footman, another male.. fantastic!

New species for the year included two uncommon species for my garden, both rather battered sadly, the Small Wainscot much worst off! The other was a rather poorly marked Autumnal Rustic.

Cacoecimorpha pronubana had a big flurry last week, with loads of males turning up, one was a nice female though.

It's still worth running the trap on warm nights I feel. 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 643 species

19/09/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

 

Autumnal Rustic 1 [NFY] 

Small Wainscot 1 [NFY]  

 

Small Wainscot

Autumnal Rustic

Cacoecimorpha pronubana

Four-spotted Footman

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing