Welcome

Hello and welcome to my moth Blog. I now reside in a small village in East Cambridgeshire called Fordham. My Blog's aim is to promote and encourage others to participate in the wonderful hobby that is Moth-trapping.
Moth records are vital for building a picture of our ecosystem around us, as they really are the bottom of the food chain. They are an excellent early indicator of how healthy a habitat is. I openly encourage people to share their findings via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
So why do we do it? well for some people it is to get an insight into the world of Moths, for others it is to build a list of species much like 'Twitching' in the Bird world. The reason I do it....you just never know what you might find when you open up that trap! I hope to show what different species inhabit Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties.
On this Blog you will find up-to-date records and pictures.
I run a trap regularly in my garden and also enjoy doing field trips to various localities over several different counties.
Please also check out the links in the sidebar to the right for other people's Blogs and informative Websites.
Thanks for looking and happy Mothing!

KEY

NFY = New Species For The Year
NFG = New Species For The Garden
NEW! = New Species For My Records

Any Species highlighted in RED signifies a totally new species for my records.

If you have any questions or enquiries then please feel free to email me
Contact Email : bensale@rocketmail.com

My Latest Notables and Rarities

Sunday 17 April 2011

Back! two more micros from a walk on saturday

Went for a walk from Bishop's Stortford to Sawbridgeworth and back on Saturday. Pots always handy, I managed to find 2 micro moths (albeit common ones!)

After much hassle trying to get them to calm down for a photo, this was the best I could do.

The very pretty Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella








Mompha subbistrigella

3 comments:

  1. On the basis of the shape of the white areas, I wonder if the Mompha is one of the Mompha divisella "group" ie the ones that need to be dissected.

    Regards
    Robert Homan

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with Robert. This looks like one of the rarer three Mompha species, all with the white back extending up to the neck.

    I've currently got one in the freezer awaiting dissection, although it is believed to be jurassicella (note the unbroken white line towards the edge of the forewing): http://back-garden-moths.co.uk/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=40330&d=1302116510

    Compare that to a Subbistrigella I caught (note the broken white line, and darker overall appearance): http://back-garden-moths.co.uk/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=40175&d=1301416862

    You might want to look further into this one, although I'm getting a jurassicella feel about your moth.

    Happy mothing!

    Bill

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Robert & Bill

    Many thanks for looking into it more! on the assumption of hardly any records of jurassicella in Hertfordshire, I just lazily plumped for the 'common one!' my CR is away on hols at the moment so I will send the photo to him when he comes back. But like you said Robert, it probably needs dissecting for a definitive id!

    Cheers and happy mothing to both of you.

    ReplyDelete