Breaking records

Breaking records, and not just temperature records, moth records as well! With some extremely high overnight temperatures from mid last week, the heat continued to build each day.

It was to be the biggest garden catch on Tuesday night here in my garden, although sleep depravation was kicking in a bit, what with working out in this heat during the day and then struggling to sleep.

The list was more like a field trip by the morning.

I decided to do a full count of species, not quite stretching to a full count of individuals though.. I did have to work the next day!

A grand total of 165 species was noted, a garden record smashing the previous best of 122.  

Obscure Wainscot was new for the garden, expected eventually I suppose and moth no.940. Sadly it was a bit of a ratty ole' specimen. 

An interesting Epiblema species was retained, which looks good for cnicicolana, which will be dissected in due course.

I've also had word back from Peter Hall, whom has looked at the dissection preparation from Graeme Smith back in 2021, when I took a similar looking moth at nearby Chippenham Fen.

He has confirmed that it was indeed Epiblema cnicicolana, and a new moth for Eastern/South Eastern England, result!

 

Some great macro moth species were recorded on the night including, Rosy Footman, the always beautiful Scarce Silver-lines and a worn Four-dotted Footman (2nd garden record and last seen in 2022).  

 

Micros were made up of mainly 50+ Yponomeuta and 30+ of various grass moths. Chilo phragmitella, Grapholita lobarzewskii and a tiny Sorhagenia species were the pick of a very good bunch. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 503 species 

 

23/06/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths - 85 species
 

Blue-bordered Carpet 2 [NFY]
Four-dotted Footman 1 [NFY]
Kent Black Arches 1 [NFY]
Obscure Wainscot 1 [NFG]
Rosy Footman 2 [NFY]
Rustic 3 [NFY]
Scarce Silver-lines 1 [NFY]
Barred Straw 
Barred Yellow 
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 
Broad-barred White 
Brown-tail 
Brown-line Bright-eye 
Buff Ermine 
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Chinese Character 
Cinnabar 
Clancy's Rustic 
Clay
Clouded Border 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Emerald 
Common Footman 
Common Pug
Common Wainscot 
Coronet 
Cypress Carpet 
Engrailed 
Dark Arches 
Dark Umber 
Double-striped Pug 
Dun-bar
Dwarf Cream Wave 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Flame
Foxglove Pug 
Garden Carpet 
Ghost Moth 
Green Pug 
Grey Dagger 
Heart & Club 
Heart & Dart 
Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Daytime on verbena)
L-album Wainscot 
Large Nutmeg
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Least Carpet 
Lesser Yellow Underwing 
Leopard Moth 
Light Arches 
Lime-speck Pug 
Marbled Clover 
Marbled Minor 
Mottled Rustic 
Nutmeg 
Pale Mottled Willow 
Peppered Moth 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Privet Hawk-moth 
Riband Wave 
Scalloped Oak 
Scarce Footman 
Scarlet Tiger 
Scorched Carpet 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shuttle-shaped Dart 
Small Blood-vein 
Small Dusty Wave 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Fan-footed Wave 
Small Mottled Willow 
Smoky Wainscot 
Southern Wainscot 
Swallow-tailed Moth 
Sycamore 
Tawny Marbled Minor 
Uncertain 
Varied Coronet 
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell 

Micro Moths - 80 species

Archips rosana 1 [NFY]
Argyresthia pruniella 1 [NFY]
Aspila lobarzewskii 1 [NFY]
Blastobasis adustella 1 [NFY]
Chilo phragmitella 1 [NFY]
Coleophora betulella 1 [NFY]
Dichomeris alacella 1 [NFY]
Grapholita lobarzewskii 1 [NFY]
Epiblema sp 1 (TBC)
Nematopogon metaxella 1 [NFY]
Pammene fasciana 1 [NFY]
Recurvaria leucatella 1 [NFY]
Sorhagenia sp 2 [NFY]
Teleiodes vulgella 1 [NFY]
Achroia grisella 1
Acleris schalleriana 
Acrobasis advenella 
Aethes beatricella 
Agapeta hamana 
Agonopterix alstromeriana 
Anania hortulata 
Anarsia innoxiella 
Ancylis achatana 
Aphomia sociella 
Archips podana 
Archips xylosteana
Argyresthia albistria  
Aspila janthinana 
Blastobasis lacticolella 
Bryotropha terrella 
Carpatolechia fugivitella 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha striana 
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cnephasia sp
Coleophora alcyonipennella frischella 
Crambus pascuella 
Crambus perlella 
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Cydia pomonella 
Ditula angustiorana 
Elophila nymphaeata 
Endotricha flammealis
Endothenia gentianeana marginana 
Ephestia sp 
Epinotia abbreviana 
Epiphyas postvittana 
Ethmia dodecea 
Eucosma cana 
Eucosma conterminana
Eucosma metzneriana 
Eudonia lacustrata
Evergestis limbata 
Gypsonoma dealbana
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Homoeosoma nebulella 
Homoeosoma sinuella 
Hypsopygia costalis 
Lozotaeniodes formosana 
Mompha subbistrigella 
Monopis crocicapitella 
Neocochylis dubitana 
Neocochylis hybridella 
Oegoconia sp 
Pandemis cerasana 
Paraswammerdamia nebulella 
Pexicopia malvella
Phycita roborella 
Piniphila bifasciana 
Plutella xylostela
Scythropia crataegella 
Sitochroa verticalis 
Spilonota ocellana 
Tinea trinotella 
Vitula biviella 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Yponomeuta cag mal pad

 

Sorhagenia sp

Argyresthia pruniella

Blastobasis adustella

Chilo phragmitella

Coleophora betulella

Dichomeris alacella

Epiblema sp

Rosy Footman

Scarce Silver-lines