Despite the weather, they've still got to fly

Sunday night wasn't too bad here, the pick of the nights for at least a week and so the moths responded accordingly.

After all, the moths have to take flight to find a mate and breed, so they really are up against the clock, especially as we are now coming into the peak mothing season here in the UK. 

 

Tuesday night was worrying, just 12 moths and last night I didn't even bother.

 

Back to the 7th and there was quite a bit of interest to the trap early evening and overnight.  

 

It was originally 8 new ones for the year, pretty darn good given how average the conditions had been, but whilst photographing the moths in the garden, my son potted up a few more moths, he added a further 2 new species for the year! A Netted Pug & Light Arches.

 

Pick of the macros was a Delicate, the earliest I've recorded here by a month.

 

The best micro was pine feeding Dioryctria simplicella, a regular moth here but rather scarce nationwide.

 

And that was pretty much it up until now, the 11th! 

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 376 species 

 

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

 

Macro Moths

Delicate 1 [NFY]

Flame 1 [NFY]

L-album Wainscot 1 [NFY]

Light Arches 1 [NFY]

Netted Pug 1 [NFY]

Smoky Wainscot 1 [NFY] 

Micro Moths

 

Archips xylosteana 1 [NFY]

Crambus perlella 1 [NFY]

Dioryctria simplicella 1 [NFY] 

Pandemis cerasana 1 [NFY] 

 

Crambus perlella

Delicate

Dioryctria simplicella

Flame

Netted Pug

Smoky Wainscot

 

 

Unstable times ahead

With the jet stream sitting firmly over the central belt of the country currently, we are continuously being buffeted by storm after storm, it's been tough for lepidoptera and the moth trap has been very sparse.

Field trips are currently on hold, but there is a sign that things will be picking up next week, fingers crossed.

A few nights off then we spin forward to the 5th of June, a warmish night but still dipping to 12 degrees, it was just about doable, unfortunately with the cloud cover came rain on and off all night.

Despite the cooler conditions, 8 new species was more than I expected.

A lovely female Ghost Moth was nice to see, although very active straight out of the fridge. Short-cloaked Moth was also nice and not common here with maybe 1 a year.

Micros included the uncommon Elachista freyerella and the increasing in abundance, Pyrausta despicata.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 366 species 

 

05/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Clouded Border 1 [NFY]

Ghost Moth 1 [NFY]

Short-cloaked Moth 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

 

Chrysoteuchia culmella 1 [NFY]

Elachista freyerella 1 [NFY]

Eudonia mercurella 1 [NFY] 

Pyrausta despicata 1 [NFY] 

Zelotherses paleana 1 [NFY] 

 

Short-cloaked Moth

Clouded Border

Elachista freyerella

Eudonia mercurella

Ghost Moth

Pyrausta despicata

 

 

Cool start to flaming June

Flaming June is the old fashioned traditional saying for the first usually hot and dry month of the year, this doesn't apply to the start of June '26, but it's massively early days yet... it'll come good, it always does.

Moths took a huge nosedive and some nights there were less than 30 species.

But on the flip side, and being June, there is always some interest to be admired.

On the 2nd day of the month, the moth gods delivered just 2 new species for the year, both lovely macro moths though.

They were..

Common Emerald, well it's green, what more is there to like? and a particularly fresh example too.

Lobster Moth, never common here but usually annual, this one however was a lovely melanic variety which was a first for me.

Two nights off followed (Cold, windy and wet) and lights were back on come Friday night.

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 358 species 

 

02/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Common Emerald 1 [NFY]

Lobster Moth 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

 

No new species recorded

 

Parapoynx stratiotata

Broad-barred White

Common Emerald

Coxcomb Prominent

Epinotia bilunana

Lobster Moth

 

 

 

June

Trying to play catchup now as the weather goes a bit meh.

Temperatures are well down on a typical early June, and literally as soon as the month started, we got pretty rubbish weather, nights were still fairly mild but rain was always a presence.

The first night of the month yielded a fair array of species, with the warmth micros were still doing very well (They really hate cool and windy night).

9 new species made the list.

Best moths included the tiny and sadly damaged Leek Moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella), not common here, the ying & yang of the moth world, Broad-barred White and Varied Coronet, with similar markings but in reverse.

Piniphila bifasciana was a little cracker, a regular pine feeder species, and a very pale year first Heart & Club was nice. 

Things slowed down a bit, but It's still June, so there is always something worth photographing. 

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 356 species 

 

01/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Broad-barred White 1 [NFY] 

Heart & Club 1 [NFY]

Purple Bar 1 [NFY]

Small Clouded Brindle 1 [NFY]

Varied Coronet 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

 

Acrolepiopsis assectella 1 [NFY]

Archips crataegana 1 [NFY]

Piniphila bifasciana 1 [NFY]

Spilonota ocellana 1 [NFY]

 

Acrolepiopsis assectella

Archips crataegana

Broad-barred White and Varied Coronet

Heart & Club

Piniphila bifasciana

Purple Bar

Small Clouded Brindle

Spilonota ocellana

 

Ditton Park Wood - Field Trip - 30th May

I made my first trip to a rather large wood in the far east of Cambs, a mixed woodland with some interesting flora.

Last year there was areas of woodland that was felled, now the light pools in amongst new areas and low-growing flora is flourishing, certainly a win in my book. Variety certainly is a good thing for wildlife.

 

A warm and humid day looked perfect for a session, and as I was setting up I was confident, even the local farmer popped by to offer me a cup of steaming hot tea, wishing me luck and bidding me farewell.

 

4 traps were setup in anticipation, moths started to come in, but variety was a little disappointing, and then the wind got up. Not the lovely southerly warmth we had recently, but a cool east breeze, ARGH! 2 traps were in direct firing line from the elements.

 

I decided to pack up two of the traps at midnight, the other two weren't far behind unfortunately, as the moths stopped flying. 

 

Getting in the car, the thermometer still read 14 degrees, but it felt much cooler.

 

Overall the variety of species was lower than expected, but there were good numbers of common and scarcer species. 

 

Best moths included Agnoea flavifrontella, Ancylis diminutana, Telechrysis tripuncta, Poplar Lutestring & 7 Beautiful Golden-Y's.

 

I will be back when conditions improve again. 

 

30/05/26 - Ditton Park Wood - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Clear MV Trap, 1x 250w Clear Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Beautiful Golden-Y 7
Beautiful Hook-tip 
Blood-vein 
Blotched Emerald
Brimstone Moth 
Brown Rustic 
Brown Silver-line 
Buff Ermine 
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Silver 
Common Emerald 
Common Marbled Carpet 
Common Pug 
Common Swift 
Common Wainscot 
Common Wave
Cream Wave
Dark Sword-grass 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Figure of Eighty 
Flame Shoulder
Gold Swift 
Green Carpet 
Green Pug 
Green Silver-lines 
Grey Dagger 
Grey Pug 
Grey Pug 
Heart & Dart
Iron Prominent 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Light Emerald 
Maiden's Blush 
Marbled Minor 
Marbled White-spot 
Middle-barred Minor 
Mottled Beauty 
Mottled Rustic 
Oak Hook-tip 
Oak Nycteoline
Orange Footman 
Pale Oak Beauty 
Pale Prominent 
Pale Tussock 
Pebble Prominent 
Pinion-streaked Snout 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Poplar Lutestring
Riband Wave 
Sallow Kitten 
Scorched Wing 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Silver-ground Carpet 
Single-dotted Wave 
Sloe Pug 
Small Dotted Buff 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Mottled Willow 
Small Phoenix 
Snout 
Spectacle 
Spruce Carpet 
Straw Dot 
Treble Lines 
Treble-bar 
Turnip Moth 
White Ermine 
White-point 
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell 

Micro Moths

Agapeta hamana 
Agnoea flavifrontella
Agriphila straminella 
Aleimma loeflingiana 
Ancylis diminutana
Apotomis capreana 
Aproaerema anthyllidella
Archips crataegana
Argyresthia spinosella 
Celypha cespitana 
Celypha lacunana 
Cochylichroa atricapitana 
Coptoptriche marginea 
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Elachista gangabella
Epermenia falciformis
Eudonia lacustrata 
Eudonia pallida 
Eulia ministrana 
Euzophera pinguis 
Evergestis forficalis 
Gypsonoma sociana 
Hedya nubiferana 
Hedya pruniana 
Lathyronympha strigana 
Monopis weaverella
Musotima nitidalis 
Nemapogon clematella
Nemapogon cloacella 
Nematopogon metaxella 
Nemophora degeerella 
Notocelia trimaculana 
Notocelia uddmanniana 
Orthotaenia undulana 2
Pandemis cerasana 
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Parornix sp 
Prays fraxinella 
Ptycholoma lecheana
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 
Telechrysis tripuncta
Teleiodes luculella 
Tinea semifulvella
Tinea trinotella 
Tischeria eklebladella 
Tortrix viridana
Triaxomera parasitella

125w Clear MV Trap

Actinic LED Combo Trap

Agnoea flavifrontella

Ancylis diminutana

Archips crataegana

Beautiful Golden-Y

Blotched Emerald

Elachista gangabella

Gold Swift

Green Silver-lines

Musotima nitidalis

Orthotaenia undulana

Poplar Lutestring

Telechrysis tripuncta

More species continue to arrive

Last Sunday night I recorded 52 species of moths which was still very good for late May here.

It was nice to end May with a huge healthy list of species for the year, and we've still got peak mothing to come in June and July! 

10 new species overnight was very good, as night time temperatures started to get lower towards the start of the new week.

 

In the daytime a single Red-belted Clearwing came to its own lure. Clearwings have been quite sparse in my garden this year, apart from Currant where I've had up to 12 per day. 

 

Best moth for me was a 2nd garden record of  Hellinsia carphodactyla, a rather nice Plume.

 

Pandemis heparana was odd in the fact that I recorded it before cerasana, this isn't usually the case.

 

Although the weather changed as soon as we stepped into June, there were some fairly mild nights on the cards albeit a little wet. 

 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 347 species 

 

30/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Beautiful Hook-tip 1 [NFY] 

Common Footman 1 [NFY]

Dark Arches 1 [NFY]

Least Carpet 1 [NFY]

Red-belted Clearwing 1 [NFY] (To lure)

Small Waved Umber 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

 

Acentria ephemerella 1 [NFY]

Aglossa pinguinalis 1 [NFY]

Hellinsia carphodactyla 1 [NFY]

Pandemis heparana 1 [NFY]

Tinea semifulvella 1 [NFY] 

 

Small Waved Umber

Aglossa pinguinalis

Beautiful Hook-tip

Common Footman

Dark Arches

Hellinsia carphodactyla

Least Carpet

Pandemis heparana

Red-belted Clearwing

 

Some results from tricky micros

Popped & saw Colin Plant to show him some moths. Bad news, the hoped for British 2nd Euzopherodes vapidella turned out to be Ephestia woodiella. Positives were Elachista bedellella (2nd for cambs last seen in 1905) & Nemapogon variatella (2nd for cambs) great garden ticks!

 

Elachista bedellella