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, 18 January 2026

An influx of Early's

Another relatively mild night last night, saw the trap go out for the third time this year.

With highs of 10c during the day, and lows of 6.5c, I didn't expect anything really as it felt chilly, so I was pleasantly surprised to find moths on the wall of the house, as well as one inside it.

A garden record 4 Early Moths were found dotted around the house wall, and I even found a 5th on the shed at the bottom of the garden, unprecedented for here!

The moth inside the trap was of course a fast-flying Noctuid species, a diddy little Chestnut, a new species for the year.
A second species was also new for the year, a Pale Brindled Beauty and 10 days early.
 
I will try again tonight, maybe Monday night and then that's it as it is projected to get colder.
 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 5 species

 
17/01/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap
 
Macro Moths 
 
Chestnut 1 [NFY]
Pale Brindled Beauty 1 [NFY] 
Early Moth 5

Pale Brindled Beauty

Angle Shades Caterpillar

Chestnut

Early Moths


Posted by Bennyboymothman at 18:05