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

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

East Cambs Woodland - Field Trip - 26/05/24

I made an impromptu trip to a local wood on Sunday night.
 
There really isn't much choice of a decent night lately, but I feel like we are running out of time for certain species that possibly might not be on the wing for much longer!
So I bit the bullet and went for it. After a mixed day of sunshine and showers, but with a muggy feel in the air I rocked up at a quarter to nine, and set up just 2 traps.
The sky had completely cleared after a mostly cloudy day, typical! Fortunately there was no moon to contend with (rising at 1am) and there was no wind.
But the temperature fell away from 16c to 13c in under an hour. It stayed at 13c for most of the night, not tragic but far from exceptional.
Something decent had to turn up... and it did! with many fresh Gold Swifts observed 'lekking' at dusk and a pristine Green Silver-lines turning up early doors.
 
I also netted several moths at dusk before setting up, including the scarce Ancylis diminutana, my first Cambridgeshire record of this species.
The Tortrix moths were well represented at dusk, but once the cold set in at around 11pm, there was barely anything flying.
Coleophora amethystinella was a good record and the furthest easterly record so far for Cambs.

Best moths were probably two Elachista gangabella, one was absolutely pristine, and that's why it's worth making the effort for these early emergences.

I'll be back very soon.

26/05/24 - East Cambs Woodland - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 160w MBT Trap & 1x 250w Robinson Trap

Macro Moths

Brimstone Moth
Brown Silver-line
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Pug
Common Swift
Common White Wave
Coronet
Cream Wave
Flame Carpet
Flame Shoulder
Green Carpet
Green Silver-lines
Gold Swift
Iron Prominent
Light Emerald
Marbled White Spot
Orange Footman
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Tussock
Silver-ground Carpet
Small Phoenix
Small Waved Umber
Spruce Carpet
Treble Lines
White Ermine

Micro Moths

Ancylis diminutana
Apotomis turbidana
Argyresthia spinosella
Carpatolechia proximella
Celypha lacunana
Cochylimorpha straminea
Coleophora amethystinella
Coleophora alticolella or glaucicolella
Crambus lathoniellus
Elachista gangabella
Epinotia bilunana
Hedya pruniana
Lathyronympha strigana
Orthotaenia undulana
Parornix anglicella (Many beaten from Hawthorn)
Ptycholoma lecheana
Scoparia ambigualis
Scrobipalpa costella
Strophedra weirana

250w Clear MV Robinson Trap

Ancylis diminutana

Apotomis turbidana

Brown Silver-line

Carpatolechia proximella

Coleophora amethystinella

Elachista gangabella

Epinotia bilunana

Gold Swift

Green Silver-lines

Marbled White Spot

Orthotaenia undulana

Scrobipalpa costella

Strophedra weirana

Ptycholoma lecheana

 

Posted by Bennyboymothman at 19:31