2026 - The year that will go down in mean temperature history

The temperature at night has been consistently good for as long as I can remember, maybe 2 months now? 

Generally, even in the warmer months you get the odd cool and miserable night where trapping just isn't worth the effort.

I have had the odd night off here and there due to either commitments or sheer tiredness, but it really has been so good with warm temperatures, that the moths have been rather relentless at times.

 

Numbers wise, only a few certain species have done really well. Currently they are the Yponomeuta group, Endotricha flammealis, Common Footman, Leopard Moth and Least Carpet.

 

Least Carpet most nights recently, have numbered into the 3 figure mark with a peak of 129 over the weekend.

 

It certainly was a night of aggs as we refer to them, not aggs as in 'aggravation' or even 'agg' as they commonly said on TOWIE.

 

Aggregate - A moth species that is lumped together due to the necessity for dissection to separate to species level.

 

There were 3 that fell into that category, but until I either get serious and/or have time to dissect them, then they will stay as aggregates.  

 

Aside from those quandaries, there were lots and lots of other moths that I could put a name to, in fact 17 new species for the year was rather more than I was expecting amongst 80 species in total.   

 

The warmth continued. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 542 species 

 

27/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

Common Wave 1 [NFY]

Common Rustic 1 [NFY]

Dusky Sallow 1 [NFY] 

Large Twin-spot Carpet 1 [NFY] 

Slender Brindle 1 [NFY] 

Small Ranunculus 1 [NFY] 

White-line Dart 1 [NFY] 

Micro Moths

Aethes tesserana 1 [NFY]

Anacampsis blattariella/populella 1 [NFY]

Aproaerema larseniella/cinctella 1 [NFY] 

Batrachedra pinicolella/confusella 1 [NFY]

Bryotropha senectella 1 [NFY]

Cnephasia longana 1 [NFY] 

Crombrugghia distans 1 [NFY] 

Gelechia senticetella 1 [NFY] 

Scoparia subfusca 1 [NFY] 

Scythris limbella 1 [NFY] 

 

Common Wave & Common White Wave

Gelechia senticetella

Scoparia subfusca

Scythris limbella

Small Ranunculus

White-line Dart

Aethes tesserana

Bryotropha senectella

Caloptilia honoratella

 

Ditton Park Wood - Field Trip - 26th June

Well, where do I start...

I returned to one of very few large woods in East Cambs, right on the border with West Suffolk, in fact you have to drive through Suffolk to get to it.

This wood has been very hit and miss for me over the years, and on the last trip it did not fare too good, although it was a bit breezy and cool a few hours in.

Last Friday the weather looked absolutely perfect, with massive highs of 37 degrees and with lows expected in the region of 22-24 degrees, it couldn't get much better.

In all honesty, it was ridiculous, to a point where I could barely get near the traps for fear of inhaling a moth snack, being so warm everything was super active and it made picking out certain species nigh on impossible.

Early doors, I missed a lovely pied form of Pseudosciaphila branderiana, but luckily did nab a darker form later on at one of the less busy traps.

I then fumbled potting up a county first Acleris umbrana!! ARGH, the one that got away so cannot count it, a new moth for me as well.

I must have missed loads, and typing up each new species as it came in was hard to keep up with at one point.

Best moth of the night that I actually managed to keep hold of was, what appears to be a Choristoneura species in the region of diversana/lafauryana. Certainly a new moth for me and is retained for dissection. 

Other good moths included Olive, Shaded Fan-foot, Pseudosciaphila branderiana, Psoricoptera gibbosella and Eudemis porphyrana.

It was rather exhausting and as I quote the late Don Down, 'There's now too many moths'. 

More field trips when my sleep catches up a bit! 

 

26/06/26 - Ditton Park Wood - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap & 1x 30w Led Trap

Macro Moths

Beautiful Golden Y 
Beautiful Hook-tip 
Black Arches 
Blood-vein 
Blue-bordered Carpet 
Bright-line Brown-eye
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Brown Scallop 
Buff Arches 
Buff Ermine
Buff Footman 
Buff-tip 
Chinese Character 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Brindle 
Common Footman 
Common Swift 
Common Wave 
Common White Wave 
Dark Arches
Dotted Fan-foot 
Double Lobed
Double Square-spot 
Drinker 
Dun-bar 
Dwarf Cream Wave 
Early Thorn 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Engrailed 
Flame
Fan foot 
Gold Swift 
Green Pug 
Grey Dagger 
Heart & Dart
Herald 
July Highflyer 
Kent Black Arches
Large Emerald 
Large Twin-spot Carpet 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Least Carpet 
Leopard Moth 
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Lobster Moth 
Lunar-spotted Pinion
Lunar Yellow Underwing 
Maple Pug 
Marbled Minor 
Marbled White-spot 
Minor Shoulder-knot 
Mottled Beauty 
Mottled Rustic
Oak Hook-tip 
Olive
Pale Oak Beauty 
Pale Prominent 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Privet Hawk-moth
Riband Wave 
Rosy Footman
Ruby Tiger 
Rufous Minor 
Rustic
Scarlet Tiger 
Short-cloaked Moth 
Silver Y
Single-dotted Wave 
Slender Pug 
Small Dotted Buff 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Emerald 
Small Fan-footed Wave 
Small Mottled Willow
Smoky Wainscot 
Snout
Southern Wainscot 
Straw Dot 
Swallow-tailed Moth 
Uncertain 
Vapourer Moth 
V-pug 
Willow Beauty
Yellow Shell 
Yellow-tail 

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella 
Acleris forskalleana 
Acrobasis repandana 
Agapeta hamana 
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Agonopterix heracliana 
Agonopterix liturosa
Agriphila straminea 
Anacampsis populella
Anarsia innoxiella 
Ancylis achatana 
Aphomia sociella 
Apotomis capreana
Apotomis turbidana
Archips crataegana 
Archips podana 
Archips rosana 
Archips xylosteana 
Argyresthia albistria 
Argyresthia brockeella 
Argyresthia goedartella 
Argyresthia pruniella 
Argyresthia retinella
Athrips mouffetella
Batia lunaris 
Batrachedra praengasta 
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Blastodacna hellerella 
Borkhausenia fuscescens
Brachmia blandella 
Calamotropha paludella 
Caloptilia falconipennella 
Caloptilia semifascia 
Cameraria ohridella 
Carcina quercana 
Catoptria pinella 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha rosaceana 
Choristoneura diversana/lafauryana pos
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cnephasia sp 
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crambus perlella 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia inquinatana
Ditula angustiorana 
Eidophasia messingiella
Elachista adscitella
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana 
Endotricha flammealis
Epagoge grotiana 
Epinotia solandriana
Epinotia tenerana 
Eucosma cana 
Eudemis porphyrana
Eudemis profundana 
Eudonia lacustrata 
Eudonia mercurella 
Euzophera pinguis 
Evergestis limbata 
Gelechia sororculella
Grapholita janthinana 
Gypsonoma dealbana 
Gypsonoma sociana
Hedya nubiferana 
Hedya pruniana
Hedya salicella 
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Hypsopyqgia costalis 
Lathyronympha strigana
Monochroa cytisella
Notocelia uddmanniana 
Olindia schumacherana
Ostrinia nubilalis
Pammene fasciana 
Pammene regiana 
Pandemis cerasana 
Pandemis heparana 
Parachronistis albiceps
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Parornix sp 
Patania ruralis 
Phalonidia manniana 
Phycita roborella 
Plutella xylostella
Pseudosciaphila branderiana
Psoricoptera gibbosella
Psyche casta (Male)
Recurvaria nanella 
Rhopobota naevana 
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia basistrigalis 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Teleiodes luculella 
Tortrix viridana 
Triaxomasia caprimulgella
Yponomeuta cag/mal/pad 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Ypsolopha parenthesella 
Ypsolopha sequella 
Zeiraphera isertana

Triaxomasia caprimulgella

30w Led Trap

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Agonopterix liturosa

Anacampsis populella

Caloptilia falconipennella

Choristoneura diversana pos

Eudemis porphyrana

MOTHS!

Lunar-spotted Pinion

Olive

Pseudosciaphila branderiana

Psoricoptera gibbosella

Shaded Fan-foot

Another bumper night for moths

Yet another warm night on Friday night, in fact the warmest night I've ever experienced.

When I got back from a field trip at 2:30am, it was still 24 degrees! Absolutely insane, and after a hot day of 36 degrees the traps out and home were heaving to say the least, with mainly micros.. o goody!

The trouble is, with such warm temperatures and high humidity, the moths are unbelievably active and hard to pot.

I did my best to go through my trap before dawn and shuffled myself to bed. 

The Rose Plume (Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla) was a welcome new addition to the garden list, probably drifting from nearby Chippenham or Wicken Fen, where they appear sporadically. 

Other highlights included a smart Rosy Minor, the first of many Yponomeuta rorrella, the last of the expected Yponomeuta species to arrive here, and a rather smartly coloured Oak Nycteoline, my third this year alone.

Things carried on warm until Sunday evening when things finally started to cool down, but an early hint of another heatwave a week from now! 

Only new for year species listed below.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 525 species 

 

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

 

Macro Moths

  

Canary-shouldered Thorn 1 [NFY]

Common Rustic 1 [NFY]

Dingy Shears 1 [NFY] 

Maple Prominent 1 [NFY] 

Rosy Minor 1 [NFY] 

Tawny-barred Angle 1 [NFY]

White Satin 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla 1 [NFG]

Limnaecia phragmitella 1 [NFY]

Phtheochroa inopiana 1 [NFY]   

Ypsolopha scabrella 1 [NFY]

Yponomeuta rorrella 2 [NFY] 

 

Ypsolopha scabrella

Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla

Common Rustic

Limnaecia phragmitella

Maple Prominent

Oak Nycteoline

Phtheochroa inopiana

Rosy Minor

Tawny-barred Angle

Yponomeuta rorrella

 

 

Still they come

There seems to be no let-up from these warm nights recently, I've forgotten what a cooler night is! Day in and day out high humidity is taking its toll on tiredness that's for sure.

As a result, the trap has been busy beyond belief. 

Wednesday night was no different with a hive of activity in and around the trap.

 

As it has been so humid, it has been increasingly difficult to pot up moths and photograph them, sadly losing a mint Ypsolopha ustella to the sky whilst taking pics, shame as it is only my 2nd garden record.

 

A pretty much split between macros and micros for the new for year species on the night.

 

My favourites included July Highflyer, Silky Wainscot, the absolute unit that is Dioryctria sylvestrella, Ancylosis oblitella and finally a zoegana (after countless hamana) a nice dark form as well.

 

A stupidly worn Sitochroa palealis was a new species for the garden and moth no.941. 

 

Only new for year species listed below.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 513 species 

 

24/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

  

July Highflyer 1 [NFY]

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]

Silky Wainscot 1 [NFY] 

Micro Moths

Agapeta zoegana 1 [NFY]

Ancylosis oblitella 1 [NFY]

Borkhausenia fuscescens 1 [NFY]

Dioryctria sylvestrella 1 [NFY] 

Rhodophaea formosa 1 [NFY] 

Rhyacionia buoliana 1 [NFY] 

Sitochroa palealis 1 [NFG] 

 

Sitochroa palealis

Agapeta zoegana

Ancylosis oblitella

Dioryctria sylvestrella

July Highflyer

Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Silky Wainscot

 

 

 

Breaking records

Breaking records, and not just temperature records, moth records as well! With some extremely high overnight temperatures from mid last week, the heat continued to build each day.

It was to be the biggest garden catch on Tuesday night here in my garden, although sleep depravation was kicking in a bit, what with working out in this heat during the day and then struggling to sleep.

The list was more like a field trip by the morning.

I decided to do a full count of species, not quite stretching to a full count of individuals though.. I did have to work the next day!

A grand total of 165 species was noted, a garden record smashing the previous best of 122.  

Obscure Wainscot was new for the garden, expected eventually I suppose and moth no.940. Sadly it was a bit of a ratty ole' specimen. 

An interesting Epiblema species was retained, which looks good for cnicicolana, which will be dissected in due course.

I've also had word back from Peter Hall, whom has looked at the dissection preparation from Graeme Smith back in 2021, when I took a similar looking moth at nearby Chippenham Fen.

He has confirmed that it was indeed Epiblema cnicicolana, and a new moth for Eastern/South Eastern England, result!

 

Some great macro moth species were recorded on the night including, Rosy Footman, the always beautiful Scarce Silver-lines and a worn Four-dotted Footman (2nd garden record and last seen in 2022).  

 

Micros were made up of mainly 50+ Yponomeuta and 30+ of various grass moths. Chilo phragmitella, Grapholita lobarzewskii and a tiny Sorhagenia species were the pick of a very good bunch. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 503 species 

 

23/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths - 85 species
 

Blue-bordered Carpet 2 [NFY]
Four-dotted Footman 1 [NFY]
Kent Black Arches 1 [NFY]
Obscure Wainscot 1 [NFG]
Rosy Footman 2 [NFY]
Rustic 3 [NFY]
Scarce Silver-lines 1 [NFY]
Barred Straw 
Barred Yellow 
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Broad-barred White 
Brown-tail 
Brown-line Bright-eye 
Buff Ermine 
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Chinese Character 
Cinnabar 
Clancy's Rustic 
Clay
Clouded Border 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Emerald 
Common Footman 
Common Pug
Common Wainscot 
Coronet 
Cypress Carpet 
Engrailed 
Dark Arches 
Dark Umber 
Double-striped Pug 
Dun-bar
Dwarf Cream Wave 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Flame
Foxglove Pug 
Garden Carpet 
Ghost Moth 
Green Pug 
Grey Dagger 
Heart & Club 
Heart & Dart 
Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Daytime on verbena)
L-album Wainscot 
Large Nutmeg
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Least Carpet 
Lesser Yellow Underwing 
Leopard Moth 
Light Arches 
Lime-speck Pug 
Marbled Clover 
Marbled Minor 
Mottled Rustic 
Nutmeg 
Pale Mottled Willow 
Peppered Moth 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Privet Hawk-moth 
Riband Wave 
Scalloped Oak 
Scarce Footman 
Scarlet Tiger 
Scorched Carpet 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shuttle-shaped Dart 
Small Blood-vein 
Small Dusty Wave 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Fan-footed Wave 
Small Mottled Willow 
Smoky Wainscot 
Southern Wainscot 
Swallow-tailed Moth 
Sycamore 
Tawny Marbled Minor 
Uncertain 
Varied Coronet 
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell 

Micro Moths - 80 species

Archips rosana 1 [NFY]
Argyresthia pruniella 1 [NFY]
Aspila lobarzewskii 1 [NFY]
Blastobasis adustella 1 [NFY]
Chilo phragmitella 1 [NFY]
Coleophora betulella 1 [NFY]
Dichomeris alacella 1 [NFY]
Grapholita lobarzewskii 1 [NFY]
Epiblema sp 1 (TBC)
Nematopogon metaxella 1 [NFY]
Pammene fasciana 1 [NFY]
Recurvaria leucatella 1 [NFY]
Sorhagenia sp 2 [NFY]
Teleiodes vulgella 1 [NFY]
Achroia grisella 1
Acleris schalleriana 
Acrobasis advenella 
Aethes beatricella 
Agapeta hamana 
Agonopterix alstromeriana 
Anania hortulata 
Anarsia innoxiella 
Ancylis achatana 
Aphomia sociella 
Archips podana 
Archips xylosteana
Argyresthia albistria  
Aspila janthinana 
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Bryotropha terrella 
Carpatolechia fugivitella 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha striana 
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cnephasia sp
Coleophora alcyonipennella frischella 
Crambus pascuella 
Crambus perlella 
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Cydia pomonella 
Ditula angustiorana 
Elophila nymphaeata 
Endotricha flammealis
Endothenia gentianeana marginana 
Ephestia sp 
Epinotia abbreviana 
Epiphyas postvittana 
Ethmia dodecea 
Eucosma cana 
Eucosma conterminana
Eucosma metzneriana 
Eudonia lacustrata
Evergestis limbata 
Gypsonoma dealbana
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Homoeosoma nebulella 
Homoeosoma sinuella 
Hypsopygia costalis 
Lozotaeniodes formosana 
Mompha subbistrigella 
Monopis crocicapitella 
Neocochylis dubitana 
Neocochylis hybridella 
Oegoconia sp 
Pandemis cerasana 
Paraswammerdamia nebulella 
Pexicopia malvella
Phycita roborella 
Piniphila bifasciana 
Plutella xylostela
Scythropia crataegella 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Tinea trinotella 
Vitula biviella 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Yponomeuta cag mal pad

 

Sorhagenia sp

Argyresthia pruniella

Blastobasis adustella

Chilo phragmitella

Coleophora betulella

Dichomeris alacella

Epiblema sp

Rosy Footman

Scarce Silver-lines

Dusky Clearwing(s)

They're back! And what an entrance. I have never had more than one Dusky Clearwing in a day (peak was 11 specimens on 11 different days between late June and mid August in 2022) last year I only caught a couple. To get 4 today is incredible. Fordham, East Cambs to TAB lure.