A HUGE Haul

With highs of 32 degrees on Wednesday and lows of just under 20 degrees (19.8c at just after 4am) it was one of the top 3 warmest nights of the year!

Subsequently the moths were absolutely heaving in the garden, although it was fairly slow to get going as it was still fairly light at half 10, owing to the clear sky.

Over 100 species were observed up until midnight and again when I arose at 3am. 

Highlights were as follows.

Endothenia ericetana - A new garden moth and probably expected at some point, as I have recorded them locally at the fens, a very nondescript species and very similar to quadrimaculana, a little smaller though with less pronounced markings.

Acrobasis tumidana - A suspected migrant moth, this being my 3rd garden record over the years. Easily missed bleary-eyed, but once under a hand lens or through a macro lens, those raised scale tufts become apparent. 

Depressaria chaerophylli - The second Depressaria species this week (After taking a suspected douglasella/pulcherrimella beforehand). A well-marked individual, just about sporting that rusty edge to the first part of the leading edge of the forewings.

Besides the quality micros, there were some great larger moths as well, including Dark Spinach, Dewick's & Webb's Wainscot.

That lot plus a further 9 new for year species, brought me over the 600 species mark for the year, unprecedented. To put this into perspective, I was on 540 species this time last year.

Trapping continues as the nights stay mild, if a little breezy here in fenland. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 602 species 

 

08/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Dark Spinach 1 [NFY]

Dewick's Plusia 1 [NFY] 

Dingy Footman 1 [NFY] 

Gypsy Moth 1 [NFY]

Lesser-spotted Pinion 2 [NFY] 

Webb's Wainscot 1 [NFY]

 

Micro Moths

Acrobasis tumidana 1 [NFY]

Argyresthia goedartella 1 [NFY]

Bucculatrix thoracella 2 [NFY] 

Calamotropha paludella 1 [NFY] 

Cydia inquinatana 1 [NFY] 

Depressaria chaerophylli 1 [NFY] 

Endothenia ericetana 1 [NFG] 

Phyllonorycter maestingella 1 [NFY] 

Zelleria hepariella 1 [NFY] 

 

Acrobasis tumidana

Argyresthia goedartella

Bucculatrix thoracella

Cydia inquinatana

Dark Spinach

Depressaria chaerophylli

Dewick's Plusia

Dingy Footman

Endothenia ericetana

Gypsy Moth

Webb's Wainscot

Zelleria hepariella

 

A new micro!

Monday was another warm day of 30 degrees, although feeling slightly less humid than the week before, it was still blooming sticky whilst working out in it.

An increase in species, but no time to count numbers or every species, as it is far too time consuming fitting it around everything else. Needless to say there were scores of moths, and some very good species were potted up, and photographed the following evening.

Pempelia genistella was a new micro moth species for the garden, a moth I first encountered back in 2021, when I used to run a small actinic trap at where I worked in Bishop's Stortford. The find at the time was the 3rd county record.

there are 4 previous Cambridgeshire records, so still quite a scarce moth.

The second good moth of the night was an Olive. A rather nomadic species that turns up infrequently. I've had two this year so far, the first was out in the woods. I had to check my garden specimen with the one I trapped a week ago, just in case I have caught the same one! Luckily the markings are different.

It is only my 2nd garden record, last seen in 2022. 

Only new species for the year listed below. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 587 species 

 

06/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Marbled Beauty 1 [NFY]

Olive 1 [NFY] 

 

Micro Moths

Cydia splendana 1 [NFY]

Pempelia genistella 1 [NFG] 

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1 [NFY] 

 

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana

Cydia splendana

Eudemis profundana

Marbled Beauty

Olive

Pempelia genistella

 

Mostly Macros

Sunday night was a little breezier here, although despite the clear skies it still remained above 17 degrees, quite remarkable really.

Around 50 species, a slight drop probably due to the wind.

Bordered Sallow was new for the garden, a worn specimen sadly but good to tick off. 

Records are continuing to be broken, with both Copper Underwing and Least Yellow Underwing 2 weeks early. 

Sadly one of the new species for the year was dead in a spiders web! An August Thorn, my one a year and it was all wrapped up ready for a meal. 

Pediasia contaminella was the sole new micro moth species, in its distinctive head-down pose. 

 

Lots of catches to catch up on!

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 582 species 

 

05/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

August Thorn 1 [NFY]

Bordered Sallow 1 [NFG] 

Copper Underwing 1 [NFY]

Fen Wainscot 2 [NFY] 

Least Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]

 

Micro Moths

Pediasia contaminella 1 [NFY]

 

August Thorn :(

Bordered Sallow

Copper Underwing

Fen Wainscot

Least Yellow Underwing

Pediasia contaminella

 

Smouldering

Absolutely roasting out there, with days still topping out at the high twenties. 

Saturday night saw lows of 17 degrees, another warm night and a huge amount of species once more, especially for my garden.

Buff Footman was very pleasing, a seemingly uncommon moth in these parts for me. I haven't seen one since 2023 in my garden, this record representing only my 2nd garden record! Out and about I've seen it only in singles at most sites. 

 

The reedbed micro Donacaula forficella was also only me 2nd garden record, despite being surrounding by fenland.  

 

Haplotinea insectella returned from last years first garden record, a moth on the increase? It is much larger than it's similar genus, Niditinea, and races around a pot typical of many Tineidae.  

 

Bu day, the SAL lure intended for the enigmatic Sallow Clearwing, scored a hit! A new moth for me and separated from Currant Clearwing by the yellow ventral area behind the head.

It is the 9th Clearwing species to be recorded in my garden to date. 

 

An odd larger pale Eucosma was retained, which superficially looks good for fulvana, we shall see. 

 

Warm nights continued, the adjective relentless springs to mind! 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 576 species 

 

04/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Buff Footman 1 [NFY]

Jersey Tiger 1 [NFY] 

Sallow Clearwing 1 [NFG] (To SAL Lure)

Yellow-tail 1 [NFY] 

 

Micro Moths

Batrachedra praeangusta 1 [NFY]

Dichrorampha simpliciana 1 [NFY] 

Donacaula forficella 1 [NFY] 

Haplotinea insectella 1 [NFY] 

Pyrausta purpuralis 1 [NFY] 

Eucosma sp pos fulvana 1  

 

Batrachedra praeangusta

Buff Footman

Sallow Clearwing

Dichrorampha simpliciana

Donacaula forficella

Eucosma sp pos fulvana

Haplotinea insectella

Jersey Tiger

Pyrausta purpuralis

 

July starts, another hot month on the cards?

Well July is typically warmer than June, so we will see!

 

It certainly has started very warm here in the east, with most days above 25 degrees, in fact some days touching the high twenties and this week we are into the 30's again!

 

Last Wednesday it was another really good catch (This is slowly getting boring to type the same thing). 

It is absolutely crazy to have been recording moths for 20 years, and having never experienced such high overnight temperatures for so long.

 

A further 2 new for garden species were found.

 

The first certainly blew me away, as I went out to check the trap and surrounding egg trays, I was astounded by this huge brown moth, only eclipsed in wing length by a Privet Hawk-moth, a huge female Lappet! 

By the looks of it, she had only just arrived, so I raced indoors for a big enough pot and my phone to take an in situ shot.

 

The second species was an equally impressive county first Depressaria species. These are a tricky bunch to differentiate and so it will need to be dissected to tell whether it is douglasella or pulcherrimella, either way there are currently no county records for either! 

I'm favouring douglasella, and hoping it is as I have taken pulcherrimella in France before.

 

There were also two new for year Pug species and a stunning tiny Acrocercops brongniardella, which was very hard to photograph in the heat!

 

By day, two Pammene aurita were attracted to the TAB lure (They often favour the LUN lure I've found).

 

More warm weather coming up.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 566 species 

 

01/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Lappet 1 [NFG]

Maple Pug 1 [NFY] 

Slender Pug 1 [NFY] 

 

Micro Moths

Acrocercops brongniardella 1 [NFY]

Cochylidia heydeniana 1 [NFY] 

Depressaria douglasella/pulcherrimella 1 [NFG] 

Pammene aurita 2 [NFY] 

 

Acrocercops brongniardella

Cochylidia heydeniana

Depressaria douglasella/pulcherrimella

Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana

Garden Moth Trap

Lappet

Maple Pug

Monochroa lucidella

Pammene aurita

Slender Pug

 

Two additions to the garden list

Running a week behind currently as It's been a busy week last week, never really getting round to posting about moths!

Last Monday the trap was again pretty busy, and many species were observed including several quite scarce species.

Common species at the moment are numbering ridiculous.

Top 5 species currently are..

Least Carpet - 100+ most night 

Endotricha flammealis - 50+ most nights

Leopard Moth - 40+ most nights

Chrysoteuchia culmella - 40+ most nights

Various Yponomeuta species - 30+ most nights

 

Top moths included 

Apotomis lineana - 2nd garden record and first recorded on the 12th July 2022.

Garden Dart - Not a common moth by any means, 4th for the garden.

Gilmeria pallidactyla - New for garden surprisingly, the Yarrow Plume.

Plumed Fan-foot - First appeared in my garden in 2024, and year on year has become more regular, both a male and a female present to the trap on Monday night.

Round-winged Muslin - New for garden and expected eventually as I take it at the local fens on a yearly basis.

Tree-lichen Beauty - My first garden June record of this species. A species I still associate with August!

 

Still warm and the nights are a little cooler, but that was about to change as we came into the 2nd week of July. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 559 species 

 

29/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Drinker 1 [NFY]

Garden Dart 1 [NFY]

Mere Wainscot 1 [NFY]

Plumed Fan-foot 2 [NFY]

Round-winged Muslin 1 [NFG]

Tree-lichen Beauty 1 [NFY] 

Micro Moths

Apotomis lineana 1 [NFY]

Aroga velocella 1 [NFY] 

Gillmeria pallidactyla 1 [NFG] 

Mompha epilobiella 1 [NFY] 

 

Tree-lichen Beauty

Apotomis lineana

Aroga velocella

Drinker

Garden Dart

Gillmeria pallidactyla

Mere Wainscot

Mompha epilobiella

Plumed Fan-foot

Round-winged Muslin