Mad start to May

Wow, what a good moth night last night was! The perfect conditions were there and moths responded, and with lows of 13 degrees and still holding up at 17 degrees when I went to bed at midnight, it certainly took a while to list everything.

Most moths came in 1s and 2s, but the sheer variety was astounding, with larger moths, smaller moths and some really tinys turning up, Shuttle-shaped Dart the clear winner, with 24 counted.

At dusk I did nearly an hours netting on the patio for 8 species, a fair return considering half were new for the year.

Highlights overnight from the trap included both Sallow and Poplar Kitten, the size difference was quite noticeable, although this was to be a non-helpful comparison, as the Sallow was a rather small male, and the Poplar was a huge female.

Other common moths were recorded for the first time and all very fresh, and everyone likes a neat as a pin Flame Shoulder.

To the lures during the day, two more Pammene suspectana turned up, proving this species well established here now, along with the first half a dozen Grapholita funebrana to its own lure.

It's been such slim pickings for a few weeks now, then BANG. Sadly it will be short-lived as we go cooler once more into the second half of the weekend. 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 142 species

01/05/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths

Common Pug 1 [NFY]
Coxcomb Prominent 1 [NFY]
Figure of Eighty 1 [NFY]
Flame Shoulder 3 [NFY]
Heart & Dart 1 [NFY]

Latticed Heath 1 [NFY]
Lime-speck Pug 1 [NFY]
Marbled Minor 2 [NFY]
Pale Mottled Willow 1 [NFY]
Poplar Hawk-moth 1 [NFY]
Poplar Kitten 1 [NFY]

Red Twin-spot Carpet 1 [NFY]
Sallow Kitten 1 [NFY]
Small Dusty Wave 2 [NFY]
Brimstone Moth 2
Brindled Pug 1
Chinese Character 2
Chocolate-tip 1
Common Quaker 2
Coronet 2
Garden Carpet 3
Iron Prominent 1
Knot Grass 1
Nutmeg 1
Oak-tree Pug 6
Ochreous Pug 2
Pale Tussock 2
Pinion-spotted Pug 1
Red-green Carpet 2
Ruby Tiger 1

Scorched Carpet 1
Seraphim 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 24
Spectacle 1 
Turnip Moth 5
Water Carpet 1
Waved Umber 1
Willow Beauty 1
Yellow-barred Brindle 1

Micro Moths 

Anthophila fabriciana 1 [NFY] (netted)

Bucculatrix albedinella 1 [NFY]

Bucculatrix nigricomella 1 [NFY]

Bucculatrix ulmella 1 [NFY]

Cedestis subfasciella 1 [NFY]
Cydia pomonella 1 [NFY]
Dichrorampha acuminatana 1 [NFY] (netted)
Dichrorampha plumbagana 1 [NFY] (netted)

Elachista argentella 1 [NFY]
Endothenia gentianaeana/marginana 1 [NFY] (netted)
Grapholita funebrana 6 [NFY] (to FUN lure)

Prays fraxinella/ruficeps 1 [NFY]
Tinea trinotella 4 [NFY]

Agonopterix purpurea 1
Aphomia sociella 2
Cameraria ohridella 1 (netted)
Agonopterix purpurea 1 (netted)
Esperia sulphurella 1

Eudonia angustea 1
Mompha subbistrigella 3 (netted)
Pammene suspectana 2 (to ARG lure)
Phyllonorycter blancardella 1 (netted)
Platyedra subcinerea 2
Plutella xylostella 3

 

Marbled Minor

Poplar Kitten and Sallow Kitten

Bucculatrix albedinella

Bucculatrix ulmella

Cydia pomonella

Dichrorampha acuminata

Dichrorampha plumbagana

Flame Shoulder