Warm, slightly humid, dry, Moths!

It's not been too bad in my garden lately for variety, numbers are a little low but that is April in a nutshell here.

Wednesday night was a warm (minimums of 13 degrees) and a cloudy night, and very still compared to most of the year so far! 

A real mix of moths were present with both new macros and micros arriving.

Best moth was the tiny little Phyllonorycter corylifoliella (2nd garden record and last seen in 2022) Scrobipalpa acuminatella was runner-up, an annual visitor, the latter which I initially thought was a very early Monochroa species, until I got it under a hand lens and saw the orange flecks, this early, only Scrobipalpa acuminatella is viable.

All 3 new for year micro moths broke emergence records by upto 3 weeks! 

Another good night was on the cards last night including my 2nd field trip of the year.

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 77 species

15/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

Scorched Carpet 1 [NFY]

Shuttle-shaped Dart 2 [NFY]
Clouded Drab 3
Common Quaker 2

Double-striped Pug 5

Early Grey 1

Frosted Green 1

Oak-tree Pug 1

 

Micro Moths

 

Aphomia sociella 1 [NFY]

Phyllonorycter corylifoliella 1 [NFY]

Scrobipalpa acuminatella 1 [NFY]

Emmelina monodactyla 1

Epiphyas postvittana 3 

 

Shuttle-shaped Dart

Aphomia sociella

Phyllonorycter corylifoliella

Scorched Carpet

Scrobipalpa acuminatella

 

Two Cucullia sent me capers

It was looking like a proper good moth night last night, after highs of 18 degress and expected minimums of 13 degrees, in fact the forecasters held their promise, and with fairly light winds and thick cloud the moths did not disappoint!

Numbers still fairly low, but I always expect this in April in my garden. 

29 moths of 24 species were recorded, plus 2 angry Queen Wasps that picked the best moment to arrive, when I was going through the trap at quarter to 6!

8 new species for the year was excellent, which included a very special moth, a moth new to me, the Chamomile Shark. The 20 year hunt had ended, and after searching countless sites for the moth over two decades in suitable scrubby, chalk grassland and brownfield sites, the journey ends in my garden, unbelievable.

And what a belting dark specimen it is! It was nice to pose next to a Mullein, the other Cucullia species that graced the trap overnight.

Other highlights included a real splash of colour matching the fading Daffodils in the garden, the first of probably countless Brimstone Moths.

On the tiny's front, Cameraria ohridella, Agonopterix purpurea and the slightly larger Platyedra subcinerea were all welcome returning visitors. 

Changeable now, but tomorrow night might come good? 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 72 species

14/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

Brimstone Moth 1 [NFY]
Chamomile Shark 1 [NEW]
Chinese Character 1 [NFY]
Mullein 1 [NFY]
Pale Prominent 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 1
Clouded Drab 1
Common Quaker 1
Double-striped Pug 2
Early Grey 1
Frosted Green 1
Hebrew Character 2
Nut-tree Tussock 2
Pine Beauty 1
Red-green Carpet 1
Swallow Prominent 1

Micro Moths 

Agonopterix purpurea 1 [NFY]
Cameraria ohridella 1 [NFY]
Platyedra subcinerea 1 [NFY]
Agonopterix heracliana 1 
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Epiphyas postvittana 5
Plutella xylostella 1

 

Chinese Character

Mullein & Chamomile Shark

Pale Prominent

Platyedra subcinerea

Brimstone Moth

Chamomile Shark

 

Chilly

After a fairly mild day yesterday I tried trapping once more, but by half 11 I packed up as it was pretty deperate out there and all I had to show for it was 2 Hebrew Characters.

Forgetting that I didn't actually look through my trap when I switched it off last night, I just went through it this evening and found 1 more Hebrew Character and a Common Quaker, riveting!

I also checked the lure bucket traps and found 2 Pammene giganteana in each one, and then I disturbed a year first Elachista rufocinerea, result!

Then it rained... so I cleaned the patio off once more and was sweeping the remains of a Swallow Prominent, another new one albeit just sets of wings, the birds must have found one I missed! 

Local friend Leslie Gardiner also brought round a moth he trapped last night, a quick inspection revealed that it is a Depressaria chaerophylli, a scarce moth in the county, but which seems to have a little stronghold around here. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 64 species

12/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Swallow Prominent 1 [NFY]

Common Quaker 1

Hebrew Character 3 

Micro Moths

Elachista rufocinerea 1 [NFY]

 

Depressaria chaerophylli

Elachista rufocinerea

Swallow Prominent...apparently

 

 

 

Cool breezy and quiet

Not great here last night in my garden, despite fairly decent lows of 8.6c, the breeze wasn't welcome and knocked the night on the head really.

But, there was one new species for the year amongst the paltry 5 moths that did show their faces.

A nice Acleris literana was only the 4th garden record, and the two Lunar Marbled Browns are far from common moths here, being the single new for year.

A little bit cool now for a few days then we should be getting some warmth once more. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 62 species

10/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Lunar Marbled Brown 2 [NFY]

Powdered Quaker 1

Micro Moths

Acleris literana 1

Emmelina monodactyla 1 

 

Powdered Quaker

Acleris literana

Lunar Marbled Brown

Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 08th April

The first field trip of the year started local, at nearby Chippenham Fen.

After the warmest day of the year so far of 25 degrees, it certainly was worth a go, and with overnight lows of around 11c it should have been pretty much perfect for early April or as good as to be expected.

Unfortunately the heat of the day quite quickly vanished after dark, dropping 10 degrees in just over an hour, a usual feature so early on in the year and coupled with the crystal clear sky which didn't help matters.

But I perservered and was certainly rewarded with some early season quality moths.

I also trialed an unknown brand 125 watt clear mercury blended bulb that doesn't require a choke. I ran this light off of my powerpack and after an hour, not one moth! So I swapped it out for my usual 160 watt mercury blended bulb and then left it another hour, and there were at least 10 moths. Conclusion? I think it's a fake mv incandescent bulb! Won't be using that again then...

4 other traps were sited 50 metres apart around the reserve, and all lights attracted a variety of different species with the (real) 125w Clear bulb that requires an actual choke to run, the clear winner, with the big 250w clear beast only slightly behind. 

Numbers were a little lower than expected given the conditions, but we are between flight seasons now, with the early Spring moths tailing off a tadge and the odd late Spring moths emerging, species such as Chinese Character, Ruby Tiger and Scorched Carpet all featuring in the catch.

Best moth of the night was a nice fresh Grey Birch, a speciality here and one i've yet to record from the home trap.

Some lovely micros were potted up as well including a couple of cracking Agonopterix and the first of many Epinotia immundana.

A pleasing start to the 2026 field trip calendar. 

 

08/04/26 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w MV Trap, 1x 125w Clear MV Trap 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Brindled Beauty 3
Brindled Pug 4
Chinese Character 1
Clouded Drab 6
Common Quaker 10
Double-striped Pug 5
Early Thorn 1
Early Tooth-striped 1
Engrailed 15
Frosted Green 11
Grey Birch 1
Hebrew Character 10
Least Black Arches 3
Lobster Moth 1
Lunar Marbled Brown 10
March Moth 1
Nut-tree Tussock 5
Oak-tree Pug 8
Pine Beauty 3
Powdered Quaker 1
Purple Thorn 2
Red Chestnut 4
Red-green Carpet 1
Ruby Tiger 1
Scorched Carpet 1
Small Quaker 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Water Carpet 3
White-spotted Pug 2

Micro Moths

Agonopterix alstromeriana 2
Agonopterix arenella 1
Agonopterix heracliana sp 1
Agonopterix ocellana 2
Agonopterix subpropinquella 1
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Caloptilia stigmatella 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Epermenia chaerophyllella 1
Epinotia immundana 1
Gracillaria syringella 1
Mompha epilobiella 1
Pammene giganteana 1
Plutella xylostella 1
Psyche casta (case) 1
Semioscopis steinkellneriana 1
Zelleria hepariella 1

The 'clear' winner 125w MV Trap

Agonopterix ocellana

Agonopterix subpropinquella

Chinese Character

Epinotia immundana

Grey Birch

Semioscopis steinkellneriana

White-spotted Pug

 

Warmest day of the year, followed by the best night for species

A really good night last night in my garden, probably an April species record (Or close, without checking).

26 species of which 8 were new for the year.

 

It wasn't just the numbers, it was the quality that really stepped up a gear, with returning species such as the pretty Pinion-spotted Pug (It's earliest appearance), the uncommon but annual Early Tooth-striped and garden seconds of Agonopterix propinquella & Phaneta pauperana.

 

The latter micro is very scarce here in Cambs and a species typically associated with chalk grassland, which is few and far between here amongst the swathes of wetland and Alder carr.

 

It was to be short-lived sadly, as tonight is a no-go with temperatures falling to 3 degrees and a brisk breeze.

 

Moths, to be continued.... 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 61 species

08/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

52 of 26

 

Macro Moths

Brindled Pug 2 [NFY]
Early Tooth-striped 1 [NFY]
Frosted Green 1 [NFY]
Knot Grass 1 [NFY]
Pinion-spotted Pug 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 2
Clouded Drab 4
Common Quaker 5
Double-striped Pug 3
Early Grey 2
Hebrew Character 5
Muslin Moth 1
Nut-tree Tussock 1
Oak-tree Pug 5
Pine Beauty 2
Red Chestnut 1
Red-green Carpet 1
Water Carpet 1

Micro Moths

Agonopterix propinquella 1 [NFY]
Mompha subbistrigella 1 [NFY] (netted)
Phaneta pauperana 1 [NFY]
Agonopterix alstromeriana 2
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Caloptilia semifascia 2
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Epiphyas postvittana 4

 

Pinion-spotted Pug

Agonopterix propinquella

Early Tooth-striped

Knot Grass

Phaneta pauperana

Cold and clear but powdered came here

Cold, clear and a bit breezy and only 8 moths was rather pitiful, but it had been a warm day on Tuesday so I thought something new must turn up.

And indeed it did, with a welcome Powdered Quaker and also a year first Plutella xylostella, which was too flighty for a photograph and escaped! 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 53 species

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

 

Macro Moths 

  

Powdered Quaker 1 [NFY]

Brindled Beauty 1

Clouded Drab 3

Hebrew Character 2

Micro Moths 

 

Plutella xylostella 1 [NFY]

 

Powdered Quaker

Warm and Cold

Warm days and cold nights currently, with highs of around 17 degrees yesterday, but a chilly low of 3 degrees come 6am!

A single Muslin Moth was the only new species for the year.

A rather nice Clouded Drab was also potted up, i've been seeing quite a lot of this grey form this year.

Just need some warm nights! 

In other news, a lovely warm day and 30+ Heliozela sericiella were spotted flitting around the Gorse bushes under Oak canopy today at Aspal Close Nature Reserve in Beck Row, over the border in Suffolk. 

I potted one during my dinner break for a photo. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 51 species

06/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Muslin Moth 1 [NFY]

Brindled Beauty 2 

Clouded Drab 2

Double-striped Pug 1

Hebrew Character 1

Red Chestnut 1 

Micro Moths 

 

None Recorded!

 

Heliozela sericiella

 

Clouded Drab

Muslin Moth

The 2nd Pug on the 1st

The 50th moth species of 2026 to be recorded in my garden was to be a nicely variegated Oak-tree Pug. There really was little else though. Some rather cool and breezy nights over this past week. 

It was to be the 2nd species of Pug for the year, after the umpteen Double-striped! 

 

Oak-tree Pug

 

Perfect conditions but little to show for it

I haven't trapped in my garden for quite some time, over a week now.

Last night however it was mild all night with little wind, and a steady 11c after reaching 17 degrees during the day.

A very paltry list come this morning, and I was glad that I did half an hour of netting at dusk, which subsequently yielded two new species of micro moth.

A Red-green Carpet was the only new moth for the year to the trap. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 45 species

31/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Red-green Carpet 1 [NFY]

Brindled Beauty 2 

Clouded Drab 2

Common Quaker 2

Double-striped Pug 4

Hebrew Character 2

March Moth 1

Red Chestnut 1 

Micro Moths 

 

Caloptilia honoratella 1 [NFY] (netted)

Caloptilia semifascia 1 [NFY] (netted)

Emmelina monodactyla 2

Epiphyas postvittana 1 

 

Red-green Carpet

Caloptilia honoratella

Caloptilia semifascia

 

Brace of Brindles

Two Brindled Beauties made it 46 species for the garden this year on Monday night. No trapping for a few nights now as temperatures falter and drop rapidly overnight to freezing. Fordham, East Cambs

Not much else to report currently! 

 

Brindled Beauty

 

An early arrival

Rather quieter than late, and probably now past the peak of the early spring Orthosia species.

It tends to go a little quiet now through the rest of March into early April, with better moths over bigger numbers.

My earliest Nut-tree Tussock (By a whole week) was the most surprising, and there was also another new for year species, the regular but never common, Agonopterix subpropinquella of the form rhodochrella.

A nicely marked Clouded Drab was also nice to photograph.

The weather continues to be around average, with some cold nights still a prominent feature. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 45 species

22/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Nut-tree Tussock 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 3

Common Quaker 5

Double-striped Pug 1

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 2

March Moth 2

Red Chestnut 1 

Small Quaker 2

Micro Moths 

 

Agonopterix subpropinquella f rhodochrella 1 [NFY] 

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1 

Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Clouded Drab

Agonopterix subpropinquella f rhodochrella

Nut-tree Tussock

 

 

The Emperor Returneth

Joint earliest date for the Emperor Moth in my garden yesterday (21st of March).

A single male came to the lure at approximately 4.15pm after it had been out for nearly 5hrs. Temperature in the shade was only 10c. 

Here's an improved photo of the specimen.

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 43 species

21/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Emperor Moth 1 [NFY]

Emperor Moth

 

A trio of Pine Beauties

A quieter home trap last night, but a trio of Pine Beauty was the most noteworthy of the lot. I usually only record 1 or 2 per year, this trio makes it 4 for 2026 now. Cracking little moths. Fordham, East Cambs.

Very little else because of how cold it has been recently at night. 

 

 

Cold and quiet but worth it!

The last few nights i've ran my trap more out of chance than anything. 

With soaring daytime temperatures upto the high teens, it surely would spur some new emergences to take place, it's been slow but a few new species have been recorded.

The 3rd garden record of Water Carpet was the best moth on Tuesday night and last night, a completely new moth for the garden made the getting up at quarter to six in the freezing cold worth it.

It was that cold that I had to defrost my car, the gauge read 0.8c 

Yellow Horned is new for the garden and the 920th species recorded here so far. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 42 species

17/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Water Carpet 1 [NFY]

Clouded Drab 5

Common Quaker 10

Double-striped Pug 2 

Early Grey 3

Hebrew Character 5

Small Quaker 4

Micro Moths 

 

Agonopterix alstromeriana 1 

Diurnea fagella 2

Epiphyas postvittana 2 

 

18/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Yellow Horned 1 [NFG]

Clouded Drab 3

Common Quaker 5

Double-striped Pug 1

Early Grey 2

Hebrew Character 2

March Moth 4 

Small Quaker 2

Micro Moths 

 

Agonopterix alstromeriana 2

Emmelina monodactyla 1

 

Water Carpet

Yellow Horned

 

A glimmer of Spring

Recently we have had some lovely sunny warm March days, coupled with some rather chilly nights, although Monday night was cooler during the day at 14 degrees, but we held onto thick cloud for the evening, levelling off at around 10 degrees by 6am.  

30 moths of 11 species were sorted and sifted, and with the inclusion of two new species for the year.

A rather pale and worn Satellite was the first one, a regular moth in fairly small numbers in Spring and again in Autumn.

The second new species was an Early Thorn, the first of this group to come on the wing, and always a frequent moth here usually in 1's and 2's per session.

An even warmer day today with highs of 19 degrees, but currently dropping like a stone with clear skies.

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 40 species

16/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

  

Early Thorn 2 [NFY] 

Satellite 1 [NFY]

Chestnut 1 

Clouded Drab 4

Common Quaker 5

Double-striped Pug 2 

Early Grey 1

Hebrew Character 3

March Moth 6

Oak Beauty 5

Red Chestnut 2 

Small Quaker 2

Micro Moths 

 

Diurnea fagella 3

 

Satellite

Early Thorn 1

Early Thorn 2