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 22 June 2014

Broken trap - Bring out the reserve!

A bit of a nightmare last night, I went to switch the trap on and....nothing! Ah nuts. It was late and I was tired, so I brought the trap in to look at it this morning.
In place of it, I ran my 160w Mercury Blended Robinson Trap, which usually catches a lot less but the bonus is that it does attract different things.
A trip down memory lane HERE  is a catch from the same date using the same trap, five years ago in 2009.
The weather was perfect, no wind and plenty of cloud cover, although it did clear sometime during the night as it was clear at 5.30am this morning.
The emergency change of trap didn't disappoint....
Micro's have definitely increased in numbers over the last few days with 9 new ones for the year last night
Pandemis cerasana finally turned up (2 worn examples)...after seeing these for weeks out in the field.

It was lovely to see my third garden Eyed Hawk-moth and a second Phoenix.

Luckily my MV Robinson Trap is back in action!

Catch Report - 21/06/14 - Back Garden Stevenage - 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap

Macro Moths


1x Phoenix [NFY]
1x Foxglove Pug [NFY]
1x Marbled Minor
2x Dark Arches
1x Buff Ermine
1x Willow Beauty
1x Buff-tip
2x Common Wainscot
2x Flame
1x Privet Hawk-moth
1x Eyed Hawk-moth
1x Grey Pug
4x Common Footman
1x Flame Shoulder
2x Bright-line Brown-eye
1x Heart & Club
1x Fan-foot
1x Nutmeg
2x Dot Moth
1x Clouded Brindle
3x Treble Brown Spot
1x Brimstone
9x Uncertain
4x Mottled Beauty
5x Riband Wave
1x Light Emerald
3x Double Square-spot
9x Heart & Dart
5x Mottled Rustic

Micro Moths 

1x Batia lunaris [NFY]

1x Coleophora mayrella [NFY]
2x Pandemis cerasana [NFY]
2x Blastodacna hellerella [NFY]
1x Lozotaenia forsterana [NFY]
1x Argyresthia albistria [NFY]
1x Gypsonoma dealbana [NFY]
1x Phycita roborella [NFY]
1x Spilonota ocellana [NFY]
1x Udea prunalis
4x Acleris schalleriana
1x Aphelia paleana
4x Udea olivalis
2x Aphomia sociella
3x Aleimma loeflingiana
2x Tortrix viridana
1x Crambus pascuella
6x Chrysoteuchia culmella
3x Ditula angustiorana
2x Eurrhypara hortulata
1x Hedya pruniana
2x Celypha striana
2x Epiblema uddmanniana
4x Celypha lacunana
1x Archips podana
3x Scoparia ambigualis
1x Epiphyas postvittana
1x Ephestia parasitella unicolorella
2x Dipleurina lacustrata
3x Emmelina monodactyla


Eyed Hawk-moth










Phoenix










Gypsonoma dealbana










Pandemis cerasana










Phycita roborella










Spilonota ocellana










Ephestia parasitella unicolorella










Batia lunaris










Blastodacna hellerella










Argyresthia albistria










Acleris schalleriana



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