Some more new species for the year

More moths and another good catch, with the previous nights moths emptied down the road, it was nearly a completely new set of species (Bar the common ones, Leopards, flammealis, Least Carpets all still going strong). 

New species are slowly tailing off now as we approach mid-summer, a lot of species are already finishing or may go for either 2nd or a 3rd brood dependant on species, especially if this warm weather continues. But we desperately need some rain!

Amongst the macros, Mouse Moth was extremely early, and my earliest garden record by 2 weeks.

During the day, a cracking Raspberry Clearwing came to the TAB lure, probably the last Clearwing species this year I guess?

We keep the warm weather, but it is slightly more bearable now thank goodness. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 609 species 

 

09/07/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Dark Sword-grass 1 [NFY]

Dusky Thorn 1 [NFY]

Mouse Moth 1 [NFY]

Raspberry Clearwing 1 [NFY] 

 

Micro Moths

Coleophora conspicuella 1 [NFY]

Dioryctria abietella 1 [NFY]

 

Scoparia sp

Acleris literana

Coleophora conspicuella

Dark Sword-grass

Dusky Thorn

Mouse Moth

Raspberry Clearwing

 

Ditton Park Wood - Field Trip - 05th July

I made another trip to Ditton on the 5th of July, and after a warm and humid day, the night looked very good indeed moths.

A slow start but it did pick up, macro moths were very slow to come in, and with the temperature still at 20 degrees at midnight, the micros were having a field day! 

The traps were heaving once more with tinies and although there were quite a few macro moths, they were mainly of the same species, with at least 30 July Highflyers and 50 Minor Shoulder-knot.

On the Highflyers, they are o so variable and many forms were observed, one though was beyond beautiful and deserved a photograph, what a green! 

Best moth for me was a large Tineidae, Nemaxera betulinella which is new for me and seems to be only the 3rd county record.

There was also a massive shock in the MV trap when I was packing away, a Lunar Hornet Moth! it was actually buzzing around the lamp as I went through the trays, has this been documented before I wonder? A moth that is usually only seen during the daytime either on tree trunks or to its own pheromone lure.

Other top moths included Agonopterix kaekeritziana, Oxypteryx atrella & Thiotricha subocellea. 

Another Choristoneura species was retained for dissection.

It was a great trip, but I expected it to do better (I sound like Thomas Tuchel all of a sudden). 

 

05/07/26 - Ditton Park Wood - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap & 1x 30w Led Trap

Macro Moths 

Beautiful Hook-tip 
Black Arches 
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Emerald 
Common Footman 
Common White Wave 
Conmon Wave 
Coronet 
Dark Arches 
Dark Umber 
Dingy Footman 
Double Square-spot 
Drinker 
Dun-bar 
Early Thorn 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Grey Dagger 
Haworth's Pug 
Heart & Dart 
July Highflyer 
Kent Black Arches 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Least Carpet 
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Lesser Yellow Underwing 
Lunar Hornet Clearwing
Lunar-spotted Pinion 
Marbled Minor 
Marbled White-spot 
Mere Wainscot 
Minor Shoulder-knot 
Mottled Beauty 
Oak Hook-tip 
Pale Prominent 
Peach Blossom 
Peppered Moth 
Poplar Hawk-moth
Pretty Chalk Carpet 
Riband Wave 
Rosy Footman 
Ruby Tiger 
Rustic
Scarce Footman 
Shaded Fan-foot 
Silver Y 
Single-dotted Wave 
Slender Pug 
Small Blood-vein 
Small Dotted Buff 
Small Fan-footed Wave 
Small Mottled Willow 
Smoky Wainscot 
Snout 
Southern Wainscot 
Spectacle 
Straw Dot 
Swallow-tailed Moth 
Uncertain 
Wormwood Pug 
Yellow Shell 
Yellow-tail 

Micro Moths

Acleris forskalleana 
Acleris holmiana
Acleris notana ferrugana 
Acrobasis advenella 
Acrobasis repandana 
Agapeta hamana 
Agapeta zoegana 
Agonopterix alstromeriana 
Agonopterix heracliana sp 
Agonopterix kaekeritziana
Agonopterix liturosa 
Agonopterix subpropinquella 
Agriphila straminella 
Aleimma loeflingiana 
Alucita hexadactyla 
Anacampsis blattariella populella
Anania coronata
Anania hortulata 
Anarsia innoxiella 
Apotomis betuletana
Apotomis capreana
Aproaerema taeniolella
Archips podana 
Archips rosana 
Archips xylosteana 
Argyresthia albistria 
Argyresthia brockeella 
Argyresthia pruniella 
Aspila janthinana 
Athrips moyffetella 
Batia lunaris 
Batrachedra praengasta 
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Blastodacna hellerella 
Brachmia blandella 
Calamotropha paludella 
Caloptilia stigmatella 
Carcina quercana 
Catoptria pinella 
Celypha lacunana 
Choristoneura sp
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cnephasia sp 
Crambus perlella 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Cydia inquinatana 
Cydia pomonella 
Cydia splendana 
Ditula angustiorana 
Endothenia gentianaeana marginana 
Endotricha flammealis 
Epiblema costipunctana
Epinotia brunnichana
Epinotia nisella
Epinotia solandriana
Eucosma cana 
Eudemis porphyana 
Eudemis profundana 
Eudonia lacustrata 
Eudonia mercurella 
Euspilapteryx auroguttella
Euzophera pinguis 
Evergestis limbata 
Gelechia soroculala 
Gypsonoma minutana
Gypsonoma sociana 
Hedya pruniana 
Hedya salicella 
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Hypsopyqgia costalis 
Limnaecia phragmitella 
Lobesia abscisana 
Lyonetia clerkella 
Metalampra italica 
Mompha epilobiella 
Monochroa cytisella
Nemaxera betulinella
Notocelia uddmanniana 
Oegoconia sp 
Oncocera semirubella
Ostrinia nubilalis 
Oxypteryx atrella
Pammene fasciana 
Pandemis heparana 
Parachronistis albiceps
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Paraswammerdamia nebulella 
Parornix sp 
Phalonidia manniana udana 
Phycita roborella 
Phyllonorycter ulmifoliella
Pleuroptya ruralis 
Plutella xylostella 
Ptherochroa inopiana 
Recurvaria nanella 
Rhopobota naevana 
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia basistrigalis 
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Swammerdamia pyrella 
Teleiodes vulgella 
Thiotricha subocellea
Tinea trinotella 
Yponomeuta cag mal pad 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Yponomeuta rorrella 
Ypsolopha parenthesella
Zeiraphera isertana

30w Led Trap

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Agonopterix kaekeritziana

Dun-bar

Epinotia nisella

Euspilapteryx auroguttella

July Highflyer

Lunar Hornet Moth

Nemaxera betulinella

Oxypteryx atrella

Zeiraphera isertana

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