A few more new moths including a rarity (possibly)

Still running a week behind here with reports, it's been that good here that I haven't been able to keep up and also count all of the moths of every species. 

Hats off to people who do, but from the end of May until around September (when numbers are generally lower ) I mostly just list the new ones.

The heat last week continued to build, and every day was above 26 degrees peaking on Saturday at aroiund 33.

Warm nights but not always calm nights were the order of the day, with next to no rain at all.

 

Best of the larger moths from Monday night included some real star quality in the shape of Barred Red, White Satin, Toadflax Pug & Silky Wainscot of the form bipunctata, sadly a little damaged.

 

Best smaller moths included a well-marked and vivid Rhodophaea formosa and an almost certain Haplotinea insectella (although can't rule out ditella until dissection). 

There are just 3 records for Cambs, with a gap of 120 years between the 2nd and my 3rd one trapped last year at nearby Chippenham Fen. Moth has been retained.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 395 species

16/06/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths 

Barred Red 1 [NFY]
Toadflax Pug 1 [NFY]
White Satin 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths 

Haplotinea insectella ditella TBC 1 [NFG]
Rhodophaea formosa 1 [NFY]

 

White Satin

Barred Red

Haplotinea insectella ditella

Rhodophaea formosa

Silky Wainscot

Toadflax Pug

 

On the catch up

A cooler day after the blazing hot Friday, with highs of 22 degrees and a brisk wind, it felt less oppressive.

The night still remained warm enough for plentiful moth activity, but much less species were obsevered, in fact less than half!

As a result there were less new ones, but being the middle of June, every night should yield at least a couple of  new species, and indeed last Saturday night did.

Two early Underwing species showed up, the first darker form of Box-moth appeared and a tiny Pug was of course a year first Haworth's.

 

Micros were sparse, I think it was the wind. Therefore I could only muster a Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) & the ghostly white Pterophorus pentadactyla.

 

Only new species listed below.

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 390 species

14/06/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths 

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]
Haworth's Pug 1 [NFY]
Lesser Yellow Underwing 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths 

Galleria mellonella 1 [NFY]
Pterophorus pentadactyla 1 [NFY]

 

Pterophorus pentadactyla

Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing

Cydalima perspectalis

Galleria mellonella

Haworth's Pug

Lesser Yellow Underwing

 

Best catch of the year so far on Friday the 13th!

An unbelievable night was had last Friday, with a huge catch of moths for my small garden.

128 species were recorded on a perfect mid-June summers night, with highs of 29 degrees and lows of 17, it really was the warmest day and night of the year so far.

Of the 128 recorded, a jaw-dropping 29 were new for the year. 

As the night progressed, I nearly ran out of pots, particularly the glass tubes that I use for the micro moths.

There were some amazing species including specials like Ruddy Carpet, Scarce Silver-lines & Bordered White.

 

Other highlights were as follows

 

Maple Prominent - 2nd for garden & last seen in 2023, whereas Coxcomb is a annual visitor in small numbers.

 

Argyresthia pruniella - 2nd for garden & last seen in 2022, should be more regular given the foodplant.

 

Exoteleia dodecella - 2nd for garden & last seen in 2023, a pine feeder so occasional wanderers only.

 

Gypsonoma sociana - New for the garden and completes all of the resident species of this genus in the garden, it was nice on the same night to record the similar 'dealbana' and the very different 'oppressana' 

 

Monochroa tenebrella - A distinct & uncommon metallic visitor here in Cambs, it's larvae feeding from Sheep's Sorrel, there was a good patch of it in the local fields last year, whether it is there still I do not know, this being the only site for this species in Cambs!

 

Phyllocnistis unipunctella - Will need gen det to confirm but looks good for another new for garden species. 

 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 385 species

13/06/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths 

Bordered White 1 [NFY]
Brown Rustic 2 [NFY]
Brown Scallop 1 [NFY]
Cypress Carpet 1 [NFY]
Maiden's Blush 1 [NFY]
Maple Prominent 1 [NFY]
Ruddy Carpet 1 [NFY]
Scarce Silver-lines 1 [NFY]
Scarlet Tiger 1 [NFY] 
Swallow-tailed Moth 1 [NFY]
Treble Brown Spot 2 [NFY]
Beautiful Hook-tip 1
Blue-bordered Carpet 1
Bright-line Brown-eye 1
Brimstone Moth 2
Buff-tip 1
Clouded Silver 3
Common Footman 1
Common Pug 1
Common Swift 1
Dark Arches 3
Double-striped Pug 1
Eyed Hawk-moth 1
Figure of Eighty 1
Flame 1
Flame Shoulder 2
Garden Carpet 1
Goat Moth 1
Green Carpet 1
Green Pug 2
Grey Dagger 1
Grey-pine Carpet 1
Heart & Club 2
Heart & Dart 5
Iron Prominent 1
Large Yellow Underwing 1
Light Arches 1
Light Brocade 1
Marbled Clover 1
Marbled Minor 10
Middle-barred Minor 3
Miller 2
Mottled Pug 1
Mottled Rustic 1
Peppered Moth 2
Poplar Grey 1
Privet Hawk-moth 1
Riband Wave 1
Rustic Shoulder-knot 1
Setaceous Hebrew Character 1
Shark 1
Shuttle-shaped Dart 1
Silver Y 1
Small Blood-vein 1
Small Clouded Brindle 1
Small Dusty Wave 1
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 7
Small Square-spot 2
Smoky Wainscot 1
Snout 1
Spectacle 1
Straw Dot 2
Swallow Prominent 1
Sycamore 2
Tawny Marbled Minor 1
Treble Lines 1
Turnip Moth 1
Uncertain 1
V-Moth 
White-point 1
Willow Beauty 2
Yellow Shell 3

Micro Moths 

Argyresthia pruniella 1 [NFY]
Dichrorampha petiverella 1 [NFY] (Netted)
Dichrorampha vancouverana 1 [NFY] (Netted)
Ectoedemia subbimaculella 1 [NFY]
Epinotia abbreviana 1 [NFY]
Exoteleia dodecella 1 [NFY]
Gypsonoma dealbana 1 [NFY]
Gypsonoma oppressana 1 [NFY]
Gypsonoma sociana 1 [NFG]
Hypsopygia costalis 1 [NFY]
Metzneria metzneriella 1 [NFY]
Monochroa tenebrella 1 [NFY]
Pandemis heparana 1 [NFY]
Parapoynx stratiotata 2 [NFY]
Phtheochroa rugosana 1 [NFY]
Phyllocnistis unipunctella 1 [NFG]
Scoparia ambigualis 1 [NFY]
Spilonota ocellana 2 [NFY]
Agapeta hamana 1
Anania hortulata 1
Ancylis achatana 2
Aphomia sociella 1
Archips xylosteana 1
Argyresthia cupressella 2
Blastobasis lacticolella 1
Bryotropha terrella 1
Celypha lacunana 2
Celypha striana 3
Clepsis consimilana 2
Coleophora sp 1 [TBC]
Coleophora sp 2 [TBC]
Crambus lathoniellus 1
Crambus pascuella 1
Ditula angustiorana 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Emmetia marginea 1
Ephestia sp 2
Epinotia bilunana 1
Ethmia dodecea 2
Ethmia quadrilella 1
Evergestis limbata 1
Hedya pruniana 1
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 3
Lyonetia clerkella 1
Mompha subbistrigella 2
Nemapogon cloacella 2
Tinagma ocnerostomella 1
Ostrinia nubilalis 1
Plutella xylostella 5
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
Pyrausta aurata 1
Scythropia crataegella 2
Sitochroa verticalis 1
Tischeria eklebladella 1
Tortrix viridana 2
Zeiraphera isertana 1

 

Swallow-tailed Moth

Argyresthia pruniella

Bordered White

Coxcomb Prominent

Cypress Carpet

Dichrorampha petiverella

Dichrorampha vancouverana

Gypsonoma dealbana

Gypsonoma oppressana

Gypsonoma sociana

Maple Prominent

Scarce Silver-lines

Spilonota ocellana

 

Chippenham Fen - Field Trip - 12th June

3 weeks had gone by since I last went on a field trip due to weather and other things getting in the way.

As it was a weekday and I had work the next day, I plumped for a trip to my local fen.

It had been a lovely warm day of 26 degrees and the night was set to stay about 15 degrees minimum, and indeed it did.

I setup 4 traps around the reserve, and because of the chance of a migrant with the southerly breeze, I popped one of the traps in a new location overlooking pasture to the south of the reserve.

The breeze died off and it was one of the calmest nights of the year, perfect for local moths, but no good for far flung migrants.

It didn't matter because the traps were heaving with moths, the 250w clear doing it's usual, but what did surprise me was how good my clear 125w bulb was, the trap on the edge of the reserve. It contained at least 100 species at packing up time, just to that trap alone. 

 

Stars of the night were the micros, with loads of great species such as Endothenia ustulana, Gypsonoma oppressana, Neosphaleroptera nubilana, Nascia cilialis & Triaxomera parasitella.

 

Some lovely larger moths were also photographed briefly in the field, Bordered Beauty, Blackneck & Vapourer Moth to name but a few.

 

I didn't get home until after 2.30am, and then I had the home trap to go through before a 3 hour kip before work.  

 

A grand total of 239 species was a fair ole' return for the start of June. 

 

I shall return very soon. 

 

12/06/25 - Chippenham Fen - East Cambridgeshire - 1x 125w Trap, 1x 250w Robinson Trap, 1x 40w/22w Bucket Trap & 1x 160w MBT Trap

Macro Moths

Alder Moth 
Barred Straw 
Beautiful Hook-tip 
Blackneck 
Blood-vein 
Blotched Emerald 
Blue-bordered Carpet 
Bordered Beauty
Bright-line Brown-eye 
Brimstone Moth
Brown Rustic 
Brown Scallop
Brown Silver-line 
Buff Arches 
Buff-tip 
Burnished Brass 
Clay 
Clouded Border 
Clouded Brindle 
Clouded Silver 
Common Carpet 
Common Emerald 
Common Footman 
Common Pug 
Common Swift
Common Wainscot 
Common White Wave 
Coronet
Cream-bordered Green Pea 
Dark Arches 
Dark Spectacle 
Dotted Fan-foot 
Double Square-spot 
Double-striped Pug 
Dusky Brocade 
Dwarf Cream Wave 
Elephant Hawk-moth
Engrailed 
Eyed Hawk-moth 
Fern 
Figure of Eighty 
Flame 
Flame Shoulder 
Flame Wainscot 
Freyer's Pug 
Garden Carpet 
Ghost Moth 
Gold Spot
Green Carpet 
Green Pug 
Green Silver-lines
Grey pug 
Heart & Club 
Heart & Dart 
Iron Prominent 
Kent Black Arches 
Large Twin-spot Carpet 
Large Yellow Underwing 
Latticed Heath 
Light Arches 
Light Emerald 
Lobster Moth 
Lunar Yellow Underwing 
Lychnis 
Marbled Minor 
Marbled White-spot 
Middle-barred Minor 
Miller 
Mottled Beauty 
Mottled Pug 
Mottled Rustic 
Orange Footman 
Pale Oak Beauty 
Pale Prominent 
Pale Tussock 
Peach Blossom 
Pebble Hook-tip 
Pebble Prominent 
Peppered Moth 
Pine Hawk-moth 
Pinion-streaked Snout 
Poplar Grey 
Poplar Hawk-moth 
Pretty Chalk Carpet 
Privet Hawk-moth 
Reed Leopard 
Riband Wave 
Rosy Footman 
Ruby Tiger
Scarlet Tiger
Scorched Wing 
Setaceous Hebrew Character 
Short-cloaked Moth
Silky Wainscot 
Silver Barred 
Single-dotted Wave 
Small Clouded Brindle 
Small Elephant Hawk-moth 
Small Fan-footed Wave 
Small Square-spot 
Smoky Wainscot 
Snout 
Southern Wainscot 
Spectacle 
Spruce Carpet 
Straw Dot 
Striped Wainscot 
Swallow Prominent
Sycamore 
Treble lines 
Turnip Moth 
Uncertain 
Vapourer Moth 
V-pug 
White Ermine 
White-point
Willow Beauty 
Yellow Shell 
Yellow-tail 

Micro Moths

Acentria emphemerella 
Achroia grisella 
Acompsia cinerella 
Adaina microdactyla 
Aethes beatricella
Aethes cnicana
Aethes rubigana 
Agapeta hamana 
Aleimma loeflingiana 
Anania hortulata 
Anania lancealis 
Anania perlucidalis 
Ancylis achatana 
Aphomia sociella 
Archips crataegana
Archips podana 
Archips rosana
Archips xylosteana 
Argyresthia brockeella 
Argyresthia cupressella 
Argyresthia curvella 
Argyresthia retinella
Bactra lancealana
Brachmia inornatella 
Bucculatrix cidarella 
Caloptilia alchimiella robustella 
Carcina quercana 
Cataclysta lemnata
Celypha cespitana 
Celypha lacunana 
Celypha rosaceana 
Celypha striana 
Chilo phragmitella
Chrysoteuchia culmella 
Clepsis consimilana 
Cnephasia sp 
Cochylis hybridella 
Coleophora alcyonipennella frischella 
Cosmopterix lienigiella
Cosmopterix scribaiella
Crambus lathoniellus 
Crambus pascuella 
Crassa unitella 
Cydia fagiglandana 
Dichrorampha alpinana flavidorsana
Ditula angustiorana 
Elachista humilis
Elachista maculicerusella 
Elachista stabilella 
Emmelina monodactyla 
Emmetia marginea 
Endothenia ustulana
Epermenia chaerophyllella 
Ephestia sp 
Epinotia bilunana 
Epinotia demarniana 
Epinotia immundana 
Epinotia tenerana 
Epiphyas postvittana 
Ethmia dodecea
Ethmia quadrilella 
Eucosma cana 
Eucosma hohenwartiana 
Eudonia lacustrata 
Eudonia pallida 
Euzophera pinguis 
Gillmeria pallidactyla
Glyphipterix thrasonella 
Grapholita lobarzewskii
Grapholita tenebrosana
Gypsonoma oppressana
Hedya nubiferana
Hedya ochroleucana
Hedya pruniana
Hofmannophila pseudospretella 
Hypsopygia costalis
Luquetia lobella 
Monopis crocicapitella 
Morophaga choragella
Nascia cilialis
Nemapogon clematella
Nemapogon cloacella
Nematopogon metaxella
Neosphaleroptera nubilana
Nephopterix angustella
Niditinea fuscella striolella
Notocelia trimaculana 
Notocelia uddmanniana 
Olindia schumacherana
Ostrinia nubilalis 
Pandemis heparana 
Parapoynx stratiotata
Paraswammerdamia albicapitella 
Phalonidia manniana udana
Phycitodes binaevella
Piniphila bifasciana 
Plutella xylostella 
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana
Ptherochroa rugosana 
Ptherochroa sodaliana
Pyrausta purpuralis
Schoenobius gigantella
Scoparia ambigualis 
Scoparia pyralella 
Scrobipalpa costella
Scythropia crataegella
Sitochroa verticalis 
Sorhagenia sp 
Stenoptilia pterodactyla
Teleiodes vulgella 
Thyraylia nana 
Tinagma ocnerostomella 
Tinea semifulvella 
Tischeria eklebladella 
Tortrix viridana 
Triaxomera parasitella
Udea olivalis 
Yponomeuta evonynella 
Yponomeuta rorrella 
Zelotherses paleana

Triaxomera parasitella

The Clear 125w MV Trap

Aethes cnicana

Argyresthia brockeella

Bucculatrix cidarella

Dusky Brocade

Endothenia ustulana

Gypsonoma oppressana

Nascia cilialis

Neosphaleroptera nubilana

Phalonidia udana

 

Nights are getting busier!

A warm day on Thursday with highs of around 25 degrees led to a mild and a more humid night of late, and in-turn the moths were out in profusion.

A whopping 72 species were noted including 24 new species for the year. The busiest night of the year so far, numbers that would be eclipsed and knocked out of the park come Friday night. 

Best macro moths included Clay, V-Moth and an almost fluorescent Yellow Shell.

Pick of the micro moths were Celypha rosaceana, Dioryctria abietella, Homoeosoma nebulella & Tinea columbariella. 

Lots to catch up with now, as I had two large lists of field trip moths to write up!

The weather is hot by day and warm and muggy at night despite mostly clear nights. 

only new for year species listed below due to time constraints. 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 356 species

12/06/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths

Clay 1 [NFY]
Fan-foot 1 [NFY]
Short-cloaked Moth 1 [NFY]
Small Blood-vein 1 [NFY]
V-Moth 1 [NFY]
Yellow Shell 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

Aleimma loeflingiana 1 [NFY]
Anania perlucidalis 1 [NFY]
Anarsia innoxiella 2 [NFY]
Crassa unitella 1 [NFY]
Dichrorampha alpinana/flavidorsana 1 [NFY]
Dioryctria abietella 1 [NFY]
Ectoedemia heringella 3 [NFY]
Epiblema foenella 1 [NFY]
Ethmia dodecea 1 [NFY]
Eudonia lacustrata 1 [NFY]
Homoeosoma nebulella 1 [NFY]
Neocochylis hybridella 1 [NFY]
Oegoconia sp 2 [NFY]
Phycita roborella 1 [NFY]
Scoparia basistrigalis 1 [NFY]
Tinea columbariella 1 [NFY]
Yponomeuta evonymella 1 [NFY]
Zeiraphera isertana 1 [NFY]

 

Neocochylis hybridella

V-Moth

Yellow Shell

Anania perlucidalis

Anarsia innoxiella

Clay

Dioryctria abietella

Epiblema foenella

Fan-foot

 

The day after

Tuesday night was a fairly warm day with highs of around 22 degrees, but it felt warmer in the prolonged spells of sunshine. 

The night was clear as a result and the moon was out, not ideal but it was still warm up until midnight.

 

A pair of Scorched Carpets were nearly 2 months late, as I usually see this towards the end of spring.

 

And the first of the box bush pests, Cydalima perspectalis (Box-tree Moth) was recorded a shade earlier than normal.

6 new ones keeps me ticking over nicely.

 

The subsequent nights went rather mad. 

Moth garden list for 2025 stands at 332 species

10/06/25 - Back Garden - Fordham - East Cambridgeshire - Actinic Trap

Macro Moths 

Common White Wave 1 [NFY]
Scorched Carpet 2 [NFY]
Smoky Wainscot 1 [NFY]

Micro Moths

Archips xylosteana 1 [NFY]
Cydalima perspectalis 1 [NFG] 
Notocelia uddmanniana 1 [NFY]

Smoky Wainscot

Common White Wave

Cydalima perspectalis

Euzophera pinguis

Notocelia uddmanniana

Scorched Carpet