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, 10 March 2026

Mad as March Moths

Well, an insane Orthosia emergence has happened here locally, with no less than 124 individuals counted between this morning and when I returned back home from work, a clear record catch for March by a long shot!

Amongst 50 odd Common Quaker, which made up the bulk of the catch, there were some quality moths.

Engrailed was the single year tick, but certainly worth it. A nice large female specimen, a seldom seen moth in my garden and more likely to be encountered amongst preferred habitat.  

A second Lead-coloured Drab record for 2026 was also most welcome.

I doubt I will top these numbers again!

The weather now goes a little chilly and wet at night, so a quiet period coming up. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 38 species

09/03/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap
 
Macro Moths 
  
Engrailed 1 [NFY] 
Clouded Drab 12
Common Quaker 58
Double-striped Pug 2 
Early Grey 4
Hebrew Character 15
Lead-coloured Drab 1 
March Moth 14
Oak Beauty 5
Red Chestnut 1 
Small Quaker 9

Micro Moths 
 
Emmelina monodactyla 2
 
Twin-spotted Quaker

Clouded Drab

Clouded Drab Variation

Engrailed

Lead-coloured Drab

 
 
 
Posted by Bennyboymothman at 20:56