The last big night of 2026?

With lows of 22 degrees on Thursday night, the trap was very busy and I took advantage of this by staying up late and rising early.

Possibly the last big numbers night, judging by recent catches. 

 

10 new species were added to the year list, owing to just how important working a trapping area on a regular basis through the evening.

There was also one new species for the garden, a miniscule Phyllonorycter schreberella that magnified becomes a really dazzling little moth.

 

As well as the very pretty Phyllonorycter schreberella, another tiny but beautifully marked species was also very welcome, a 3rd garden record of Cosmopterix pulchrimella.  

 

Highlight macro was a Plain Wave, not common in this area and only my 2nd garden record.

 

I am a sucker for a Caloptilia, I think I just love them because they are so quirky the way they sit, and they can also be a real challenge to photograph. Thankfully this rather dark unicolorous semifascia was on it's best behaviour.

 

A nice dark Pale Oak Beauty was also noteworthy, having only a couple of 2nd brood August records to my name. 

 

All in all 130 species in my garden on a mid-August night was certainly quite remarkable.

 

Things really fined down after this. 

 

Moth garden list for 2026 stands at 665 species 

 

13/08/26 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

 

Macro Moths 

Barred Hook-tip 1 [NFY]
Clay Triple-lines 1 [NFY]
Orange Swift 3 [NFY]
Plain Wave 1 [NFY]
Brimstone Moth 
Broad-barred White 
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Cabbage Moth 
Chinese Character 
Clay 
Cloaked Minor 
Clouded Border 
Common Carpet 
Common Rustic 
Common Wave
Common Wainscot 
Copper Underwing 
Coxcomb Prominent 
Delicate
Double-striped Pug 
Dusky Thorn 
Elephant Hawk-moth 
Flame Shoulder 
Flounced Rustic 
Garden Carpet 
Grey Dagger 
Gypsy Moth
Heart & Dart 
Jersey Tiger 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Least Carpet 
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing
Light Emerald 
Lime-speck Pug 
Lychnis 
Marbled Clover 
Nutmeg 87
Pale Mottled Willow 
Pale Oak Beauty
Pale Prominent 
Poplar Grey 
Riband Wave 
Rustic
Sallow Kitten 
Satin Wave
Scalloped Oak 
Scorched Carpet 2
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Shark 3
Shuttle-shaped Dart 
Silver Y 
Single-dotted Wave 
Small Blood-vein 
Small Mottled Willow 
Straw Underwing 
Swallow Prominent 
Square-spot Rustic 
Tawny Wave 
Treble-bar 
Tree-lichen Beauty 
Turnip Moth 
Vine's Rustic 
White-point 
White-line Dart 
Willow Beauty 

Micro Moths 

Adaina microdactyla 1 [NFY]
Bedellia somnulentella 1 [NFY]
Cosmopterix pulchrimella 1 [NFY]
Etainia louisella/sericopoza 1 [NFY]
Phyllonorycter schreberella 1 [NFG]
Ptocheuusa paupella 1 [NFY]
Acleris variegana 
Acrobasis advenella 
Agonopterix alstromeriana 
Agriphila geniculea 
Agriphila straminella 
Agriphila tristella 
Alucita hexadactyla 
Anania coronata 
Blastobasis adustella 
Bryotropha basaltinella 
Bryotropha senectella 
Bryotropha terrella 
Cameraria ohridella 
Carcina quercana 3
Celypha rosaceana 5
Celypha striana 
Cochylidia implicatana 
Coptoptriche marginea 
Coleophora alcyonipennella frischella 
Cydalima perspectalis 
Cydia amplana 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Cydia pomonella 
Cydia splendana 
Dichrorampha petiverella 
Elachista stabilella 
Emmelina monodactyla 
Endotricha flammealis 
Epermenia chaerophyllella 
Epiphyas postvittana 
Evergestis forficalis 
Evergestis limbata 5
Galleria mellonella 
Gelechia senticetella 
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Homoeosoma sinuella 
Homoeosoma nebulella 3
Hypsopyqgia costalis 
Lobesia abscisana 
Monopis crocicapitella 
Neocochylis dubitana 
Neocochylis hybridella 
Neocochylis molliculana 
Nomophila noctuella 
Ostrinia nubilalis 
Oxyptilus distans 
Parapoynx stratiotata 
Phycita roborella 
Plutella xylostella 
Pyrausta aurata 
Scrobipalpa ocellatella 
Scythropia crataegella 8
Sitochroa verticalis 
Tinea trinotella 
Udea ferrugalis 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Yponomeuta cag mal pad

 

Plain Wave

Phyllonorycter schreberella

Pale Oak Beauty

Phyllonorycter schreberella