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

Saturday 21 May 2016

High-flying May Surprise


Last night I decided to put my trap on again and hope for some more different species, and with last nights species in a tub so as not re-capture them.
3 new species were added to the year list plus a bagworm, so not bad at all.

17 moths of 12 species with a case of Psyche casta making it 18 species, very pleasing indeed.

Highlight of the night was a garden first May Highflyer, a moth that I have only ever seen 3 times before in 10 years, I never realised how scarce my records were of this species.

Here are my records

Thorndon Country Park North
TQ605913
18
Ben Sale
Ben Sale
05/06/2010
Waterford Heath North Pit
TL314152
20
Ben Sale
Andrew Wood
06/05/2011
Gadesprings - Hemel Hempstead
TL038061
20
Ben Sale
Roger Prue
11/06/2013






So a really great record for my garden and my best moth this year so far, it was a right pain to photograph as it just would not settle for starter's and when it did settle it was wings like a butterfly! Thankfully it did splay out but on the lid of my pot.
I will try tomorrow for a moth natural shot.

I will be giving the moths a break tonight as it is supposed to be wet at times. 

Catch Report - 20/05/16 - Back Garden - Stevenage - 1x 125w MV Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

1x May Highflyer [NFG]
1x Common Pug
2x Garden Carpet
2x Poplar Hawk-moth
1x Bright-line Brown-eye
4x Shuttle shaped Dart 
1x Common Swift
1x Brimstone Moth

Micro Moths

1x Bryotropha affinis [NFY]
1x Caloptilia alchimiella [NFY]
1x Psyche casta (case) [NFY]
1x Agonopterix heracliana
1x Mompha subbistrigella


Psyche casta case











May Highflyer












Poplar Hawk-moth











 
Bryotropha affinis

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