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

Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Two Cucullia sent me capers

It was looking like a proper good moth night last night, after highs of 18 degress and expected minimums of 13 degrees, in fact the forecasters held their promise, and with fairly light winds and thick cloud the moths did not disappoint!

Numbers still fairly low, but I always expect this in April in my garden. 

29 moths of 24 species were recorded, plus 2 angry Queen Wasps that picked the best moment to arrive, when I was going through the trap at quarter to 6!

8 new species for the year was excellent, which included a very special moth, a moth new to me, the Chamomile Shark. The 20 year hunt had ended, and after searching countless sites for the moth over two decades in suitable scrubby, chalk grassland and brownfield sites, the journey ends in my garden, unbelievable.

And what a belting dark specimen it is! It was nice to pose next to a Mullein, the other Cucullia species that graced the trap overnight.

Other highlights included a really splash of colour matching the fading Daffodils in the garden, the first of probably countless Brimstone Moths.

On the tiny's front, Cameraria ohridella, Agonopterix purpurea and the slightly larger Platyedra subcinerea were all welcome returning visitors. 

Changeable now, but tomorrow night might come good? 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 72 species

14/04/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap
 
Macro Moths 

Brimstone Moth 1 [NFY]
Chamomile Shark 1 [NEW]
Chinese Character 1 [NFY]
Mullein 1 [NFY]
Pale Prominent 1 [NFY]
Brindled Beauty 1
Clouded Drab 1
Common Quaker 1
Double-striped Pug 2
Early Grey 1
Frosted Green 1
Hebrew Character 2
Nut-tree Tussock 2
Pine Beauty 1
Red-green Carpet 1
Swallow Prominent 1

Micro Moths 

Agonopterix purpurea 1 [NFY]
Cameraria ohridella 1 [NFY]
Platyedra subcinerea 1 [NFY]
Agonopterix heracliana 1 
Alucita hexadactyla 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Epiphyas postvittana 5
Plutella xylostella 1
 
Chinese Character

Mullein & Chamomile Shark

Pale Prominent

Platyedra subcinerea

Brimstone Moth

Chamomile Shark

 
Posted by Bennyboymothman at 20:54