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, I have now removed commenting as the bots were starting to appear
Contact Email : bensale@rocketmail.com

My Latest Notables and Rarities

Sunday, 31 May 2020

Commophila aeneana - 28/05/20

A pretty little Commophila aeneana was netted on Thursday morning, about half a mile south from a site I swept it from two yers ago in East Herts along the A10.

A little worn unfortunately, but a pleasing record all the same.

Still a fairly scarce moth in Hertfordshire.

Commophila aeneana



Friday, 29 May 2020

Field Trip - Bramfield Woods - 26/05/20

Another trip over the pine side of Bramfield woods was made on Tuesday night.

A really warm day again, but we had no cloud so we knew the temperature would drop a bit, a bit, was an understatement, it wasn't supposed to get below around 14 degrees, but by midnight it felt 'chilly'. Leaving at 2am it was 9c on my car.

The wind was also an issue, whilst setting up it was almost muggy and with just a gentle breeze, then a front from the North-east hit us, and it was quite blowy in places, 2 of my traps were in the firing line and suffered badly.

Lots of the usual fare were recorded, highlights were at least 15 Spilonota laricana, a Larch feeder and with it's foodplant in the local area, it was to be expected, but never in these numbers before!

Trevor potted a Cydia that looks good for illutana, a Herts rarity but needs dissecting, as do a few of my specimens, a pretty Ectoedemia sp and a rather plain one, another probably Carpatolechia notatella (after taking the 4th County record last week on the other side of the woods) and an Elachista that is grade 4, probably either freyerella or humilis (either would be new to me).

A sort of tick for me was potting a male Psyche casta, having seen the larval cases everywhere and breeding through a female, it was nice to see the other sex. 

Pammene albuginana was also a good record and a new addition to the site list.

Below is the list that we managed on the trip.

Catch Report - 26/05/20 - Bramfield Park Woods - Central Herts - 8 traps - 3x 125w MV Trap, 2x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x LED Battery trap & 40w U-Tube + 15w Actinic tube & 15w Synergetic tube Trap

72 Macro species & 78 Micro species - 150 species in total


Macro Moths

Alder Moth
Angle Shades
Beautiful Golden Y
Beautiful Hook-tip
Brimstone Moth
Brindled White-spot
Broken-barred Carpet
Brown Rustic
Brown Silver-line
Buff Ermine
Buff-tip
Cinnabar
Clay Triple lines
Clouded-bordered Brindle
Common Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Pug
Common Swift
Common Wainscot
Coxcomb Prominent
Cream Wave
Dwarf Pug
Elephant Hawk-moth
Flame Shoulder
Foxglove Pug
Green Carpet
Grey Pug
Grey-pine Carpet
Heart & Dart
Large Nutmeg
Large Yellow Underwing
Least Black Arches
Light Brocade
Light Emerald
Lime Hawk-moth
Lobster Moth
Maiden's Blush
Marbled Brown
Marbled Minor
Marbled White Spot
Middle-barred Minor
Mottled Pug
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Hook-tip
Oak Nycteoline
Ochreous Pug
Orange Footman
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Tussock
Peach Blossom
Pebble Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Pine Hawk-moth
Poplar Hawk-moth
Poplar Lutestring
Riband Wave
Rustic Shoulder knot
Scalloped Hazel
Scalloped Hook-tip
Scorched Wing
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Small Square-spot
Small White Wave
Spruce Carpet
Straw Dot
Swallow Prominent
Tawny Marbled Minor
Treble Lines
Turnip Moth
White Ermine



Micro Moths

Agapeta hamana
Agonopterix arenella
Alabonia geofrella
Anania lancealis
Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Apotomis turbidana
Argyresthia brockeella
Argyresthia conjugella
Argyresthia goedartella
Argyresthia trifasciella
Bucculatrix ulmella
Caloptila alchimiella/robustella
Capua vulgana
Carpatolechia notatella
Carpatolechia proximella
Cedestis subfasciella
Celypha cespitana (Not rivulana, TBC)
Celypha lacunana
Choristoneura hebenstritella
Cochylimorpha straminea
Cochylis molliculana
Cochylis nana
Crambus lathoniellus
Cryptoblabes bistriga
Cydia fagiglandana
Cydia illutana (Gen Det TBC)
Cydia splendana
Dichrorampha alpinana (Gen Det TBC)
Dioryctria simplicella
Ectoedemia decentella
Elachista humilis/freyerella (Gen Det TBC)
Emmetia marginea
Ephestia sp
Epinotia abbreviana
Epinotia bilunana
Epinotia demarniana
Epinotia nanana
Epinotia rubiginosana
Epinotia subocellana
Epinotia tetraquetrana
Esperia sulphurella
Eucosma hohenwartiana
Eudonia lacustrata
Eulia ministrana
Homoeosoma sinuella
Incurvaria masculella
Lathronympha strigana
Lobesia reliquana
Monopis weaverella
Nemophora degeerella
Nemopogon cloacella
Notocelia cynosbatella
Notocelia trimaculana
Notocelia uddmanniana
Orthotaenia undulana
Pammene albuginana
Pandemis cerasana
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella
Parornix sp
Phyllonorycter harrisella
Phyllonorycter trifasciella
Phylloporia bistrigella
Pseudoswammerdamia combinella
Psyche casta
Ptycholoma lecheana
Rhyacionia pinivorana
Scoparia ambigualis
Spilonota laricana
Stigmella samiatella (Gen Det TBC)
Strophedra nitidana
Strophedra weirana
Swammerdamia caesiella
Syndemis musculana
Teleiodes luculella
Tinea trinotella
Tischeria eklebladella
Triaxomera parasitella
Udea olivalis


Carpatolechia notatella

Dioryctria simplicella

Ectoedemia sp

Elachista freyerella humilis

Apotomis turbidana

Grey Pug

Pammene albuginana

Pandemis cerasana

Paraswammerdamia albicapitella

Psyche casta

Ptycholoma lecheana

Small Square-spot

Spilonota laricana

Triaxomera parasitella

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

Woah steady there boy!

After the last catch in the garden being a little low for this time of year, it was all guns a-blaze here once again.
Highlights are below, and there were plenty!

Not one, but two Netted Pug made it on the garden list. I trapped one the other night out in woodland. Never expected the garden to throw them up here, very pleased.. unfortunately one was deceased at the bottom of the trap. 

Elachista argentella, added to the garden list and moth species no.738, one I encounter frequently out in good grassy habitat, so a nice addition to the garden fauna.

A really pale Heart & Dart, almost a completely different species. I don't recall ever seeing one this pale before.

It was also nice to trap my annual one specimen of Figure of Eighty, a favourite of mine.

Overall, it was a BIG May catch for my garden.



There is still a Caloptilia species to check... haven't a clue what it is, it's so worn.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 192.


128 moths of 53 species to 250w MV Robinson Trap min 12c at 5:00am 

Catch Report - 25/05/20 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts

Macro Moths


Figure of Eighty 1 [NFY]
Foxglove Pug 1 [NFY]
Ingrailed Clay 1 [NFY]
Knot Grass 1 [NFY]
Large Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]
Netted Pug 2 [NFG]
Peppered Moth 2 [NFY]
Scalloped Hazel 1 [NFY]
Small Dusty Wave 1 [NFY]
Brimstone Moth 2
Buff-tip 1
Common Marbled Carpet 3
Common Pug 5
Common Swift 1
Common Wainscot 6
Freyer's Pug 3
Garden Carpet 2
Green Pug 1
Heart & Dart 18
Large Nutmeg 5
Maiden's Blush 1
Mottled Pug 1
Pale Mottled Willow 1
Pale Tussock 6
Poplar Hawk-moth 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot 2
Shuttle-shaped Dart 7
Silver Y 1
Spectacle 2
Treble Lines 5
Turnip Moth 2
Vine's Rustic 3
Willow Beauty 5

Micro Moths


Elachista argentella 1 [NFG]
Blastobasis lacticolella 1 [NFY]
Bucculatrix thoracella 1 [NFY]
Caloptilia sp 1 (TBC)
Ectoedemia decentella 1 [NFY]
Emmetia marginea 1 [NFY]
Ephestia sp 1 [NFY]
Scoparia ambigualis 1 [NFY]
Argyresthia trifasciata 1
Bucculatrix nigricomella 1
Bucculatrix ulmella 3
Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella 1
Celypha lacunana 2
Diplodoma laichartingella 1
Elachista rufocinerea 1
Epiphyas postvittana 8
Mompha subbistrigella 3
Phyllonorycter harrisella 1
Parornix sp 1
Syndemis musculana 1
Teleiodes luculella 1
Udea olivalis 2


Blastobasis lacticolella

Ectoedemia decentella

Elachista argentella

Emmetia marginea

Ephestia sp

Figure of Eighty

Foxglove Pug

Heart & Dart

Ingrailed Clay

Large Yellow Underwing

Netted Pug

Peppered Moth

Scalloped Hazel

Scoparia ambigualis

Small Dusty Wave

Catch Report - 24/05/20

Not much to report from Sunday night, a fairly quiet night at the trap, with a trickle of new species for the year to keep me awake and paying attention.

There was an Argyresthia cupressella in the Vitrelis lure this afternoon (And there have been a further two since then, Tim Green in Essex has also had this species, to this particular lure). 


Better times were approaching, with warmer weather inbound.

Garden species count for 2020 now upto 175.


43 moths of 15 species to 40w U-tube Actinic & 15w Actinic + 15w Synergetic Trap min 9c at 4:00am 

Catch Report - 24/05/20 - Back Garden - Stevenage - North Herts   

Macro Moths


Brown Rustic 1 [NFY]
Green Pug 1 [NFY]
Freyer's Pug 2
Common Wainscot 4
Treble Lines 2
Heart & Dart 8
Large Nutmeg 2

Pale Tussock 4
Rustic Shoulder-knot 2
Shuttle-shaped Dart 6
Vine's Rustic 4


Micro Moths


Argyresthia cupressella 1 [NFY]
Bucculatrix nigricomella 1
Epiphyas postvittana 3

Udea olivalis 2

Brown Rustic

Green Pug

Pale Tussock

Argyresthia cupressella

Tuesday, 26 May 2020

Caloptilia honoratella new to Herts.

Confirmed by dissection last night by Graeme Smith.

1st record for Herts to my 20w wemlite sat on top of a small Heath trap base that was donated to me many years ago.

It just shows you that anything really is possible with moth trapping.

I believe this is the 5th UK record now

http://www.hertsmothblog.co.uk/2020/05/i-couldnt-believe-my-eyes.html





Pammene suspectana new to Herts

Since getting started with Pheremone traps on the 7th of May, i've had 4 different lures hanging in the garden and in the adjacent alleyway, these are for 'pomonella' 'funebrana' 'vitrealis' and 'molesta'

I check them 3 times a day at present, although i've found nothing in them during the heat of the day, the last hour of sun has been the most productive (I say productive, i've only managed a handful of species so far).

On the 15th of May at 6:30pm, a small dark Tortrix was racing around inside of the 'funebrana' lure trap. Potted up and photographed, I held onto the moth with the possibility of it being Pammene suspectana (With thanks to Tim Green for highlighting this potential species to me), it was more likely to be albuginana, still a rare moth for me and my last record being 8 years ago, either would be new for the garden.

Then the next day, I checked again at pretty much time the following day, and a slightly smaller specimen was sitting inside the ame trap, the moth looked exactly the same species.

Wind on nearly two weeks and Graeme Smith has got back to me with the dissection results, and unbelievably they are both the Ash feeder Pammene suspectana! And a 1st and 2nd County record and moth species no.736 for he garden.

To say i'm gobsmacked is an understatement.

It just shows you the power of these pheremone lures. With not much Ash around here, I was convinced they would be the Oak feeding Pammene albuginana, of which we have plenty of the foodplant.

With thanks to Tim Green for pointing me in the right direction with lures and for Graeme for the excellent dissection.





Monday, 25 May 2020

Coleophora conspicuella

Several Coleophora conspicuella cases found today in a new tetrad for Herts (Just North of Ware).
This is a vulnerable moth and is a prdb species (pre red data book species).
It seems to be doing very well in Herts in recent years.

This Moth I added to the County list in 2018, with an adult example from my garden in July, then a week later, another turned up at Ashwell Quarry.
I then found it in the Spring of 2019 at a small grassy site on the edge of an A Road, and it is still doing very well there this year. Today, I ventured about a mile south of that site, and found it on Common Knapweed there. I took one home and it has spun a very fine silk hammock, I hope it hatches safely!
So, if you know a site with Common Knapweed, go and have a look now! See if you can find them on the leaves, they are huge at around 8cm long, the name conspicuella says it all really.

Field Trip - Bramfield ParkWoods - 21/05/20

Well, where do I start...
The day had been a heady 26 degrees and with increasing cloud cover through the afternoon, things were looking spot on for a session at the local woods.
I was all kitted up and ready to go with 5 traps.

We decided to record on the other side of the wood, Bramfield Park Woods, is a little smaller but far more vegetated and with more of a wilderness feel to it, less mature trees, but a plethora of unusual plants and shrubs.
The grassy rides here are most interesting, and support an array of damp woodland specialist moths, particularly Elachista's.

We starting setting up at around 8.30pm and it took at least half an hour to position our lights. Mine were in the central section of the woods, and Trevor's were a little further along in the grassy rides.

Lights on! at around 9pm as some of the traps were under the trees and the light was already fading, the moths were literally there as soon as I turned back to the traps from plugging them in! 
Mainly 100's of Coleophora species, 2 maybe 3 different species, and then all hell broke loose for a good half an hour, and then it went quiet again at around 10pm (this quite often happens). 
By 11pm we were swimming in moths once again, and potting up anything we didn't initially recognise.
Highlights were Netted Pug, 5 species of Hawk-moth (Pine, Eyed, Poplar, Lime & Small Elephant) at least 100 Pale Tussock (i've never seen so many before) and some really nice micros including,
Carpatolechia proximella, Choristoneura hebenstritella, Cydia conicolana, Lampronia fuscatella, Phylloporia bistrigella and a further 4 for dissection below.

4 micros are pending from the trip, I hope my tentative id's are correct :  Coleophora albicosta (Common), Elachista gleichenella (2nd County record, last seen in 1890!), Elachista utonella (New to Herts) and Carpatolechia notatella (4th County record, last seen in 1978). 

Below is the list that we managed on the trip.

Catch Report - Bramfield Park Woods - Central Herts - 8 traps - 3x 125w MV Trap, 2x 250w Clear MV Robinson Trap, 1x 160w MBT Trap, 1x LED Battery trap & 40w U-Tube + 15w Actinic tube & 15w Synergetic tube Trap

87 Macro species & 78 Micro species - 165 species in total

Macro Moths

Alder Moth
Angle Shades
Barred Hook-tip
Blood-vein
Brimstone Moth
Brindled White-spot
Broken-barred Carpet
Brown Silver-line
Brown Rustic
Buff-tip
Buttoned Snout
Cinnabar
Clay Triple lines
Clouded-bordered Brindle
Common Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Pug
Common Swift
Common Wainscot
Common Wave
Common White Wave
Coronet
Coxcomb Prominent
Cream Wave
Dwarf Pug
Eyed Hawk-moth
Flame Shoulder
Foxglove Pug
Garden Carpet
Green Carpet
Grey-pine Carpet
Heart & Dart
Iron Prominent
Large Nutmeg
Large Yellow Underwing
Least Black Arches
Lesser Swallow Prominent
Light Brocade
Light Emerald
Lime Hawk-moth
Lobster Moth
Maidens Blush
Marbled Minor
Marbled White Spot
Middle-barred Minor
Mottled Pug
Netted Pug
Nut-tree Tussock
Oak Hook-tip
Ochreous Pug
Orange Footman
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Prominent
Pale Tussock
Peach Blossom
Peacock Moth
Pebble Hook-tip
Pebble Prominent
Pine Beauty
Pine Hawk-moth
Poplar Lutestring
Poplar Hawk-moth
Red-green Carpet
Red Twin spot Carpet
Rustic Shoulder knot
Scalloped Hazel
Scalloped Hook-tip
Scorched Carpet
Scorched Wing
Seraphim
Setaceous Hebrew Character
Shuttle-shaped Dart
Silver Y
Silver-ground Carpet
Small Elephant Hawk-moth
Small Phoenix
Small White Wave
Spectacle
Spruce Carpet
Straw Dot
Swallow Prominent
Tawny Marbled Minor

Treble-bar
Treble Lines
Turnip Moth
V-pug
White Ermine


Micro Moths

Adela reamurella
Alucita hexadactyla
Ancylis mitterbacheriana
Aphomia sociella
Agonopterix alstromeriana
Argyresthia brockeella
Argyresthia goedartella
Argyresthia spinosella
Argyresthia trifasciella
Bucculatrix ulmella
Bucculatrix thoracella
Capua vulgana
Caloptila alchimiella/robustella
Carpatolechia proximella
Cataclysta lemnata
Celypha lacunana
Choristoneura hebenstritella
Cochylis atricapitana
Cochylis nana
Cochylis molliculana
Cochylimorpha straminea

Coleophora albicosta sp TBC
Coleophora trifolii
Crambus lathoniellus
Cydia conicolana
Cydia fagiglandana
Elachista gleichenella TBC
Elachista utonella TBC
Elophila nymphaeata
Emmetia marginea
Endothenia gent/marg
Ephestia sp
Epinotia bilunana
Epinotia demarniana
Epinotia nanana
Epinotia rubiginosana
Epinotia subocellana
Epinotia tedella
Epinotia tetraquetrana
Esperia sulphurella
Eucosma cana
Eucosma hohenwartiana
Eulia ministrana
Grapholita funebrana
Glyphipterix forsterella
Homoeosoma sinuella
Incurvaria masculella
Incurvaria oehlmanniella
Lampronia fuscatella
Lathronympha strigana
Monopis weaverella
Nephopterix angustella
Notocelia cynosbatella
Notocelia trimaculana
Notocelia uddmanniana
Orthotaenia undulana
Pammene argyrana
Phyllonorycter harrisella
Phyllonorycter trifasciella
Phyllonorycter quercifoliella
Phylloporia bistrigella
Parornix sp
Phtheochroa rugosana
Plutella xylostella
Prays fraxinella
Pseudoswammerdamia combinella
Ptycholoma lecheana
Pyrausta aurata
Rhyacionia pinivorana
Scoparia ambigualis
Strophedra weirana
Swammerdamia caesiella
Syndemis musculana
Teleiodes luculella
Tinea trinotella
Tischeria eklebladella
Udea olivalis
Zeiraphera isertana


Buttoned Snout

Carpatolechia proximella

Carpatolechia pos notatella?

Coleophora trifolii

Cydia conicolana

Elachista gleichenella?

Elachista sp

Elachista utonella?

Epinotia nanana

Nephopterix angustella

Netted Pug

Treble-bar