2024 was a tough year for moths nationwide, numbers have slumped dramatically in the last few years, this year was quite possibly the lowest dip I've ever experienced, with most species represented by one or two individuals.
Common moths were at an all time low, but diversity was up with a large variety of species seen throughout the year.
The weather was challenging to say the least, with countless windy nights, not many warm and muggy nights to choose either. Rainfall was an issue, even during the peak of diversity.
Some really special moths were added to the garden list, some maybe expected eventually, but others completely out of the blue.
In total, a whopping 70 new additions, 23 were macro moths and 47 were micro moths. Not bad considering it was my 3rd full year of recording moths here (starting in September 2021).
2025 has a lot to live up to and I shall hope for higher numbers of the common moths otherwise we might be in serious trouble..
Happy mothing all and I will see you in the new year.
1. Small Eggar 13/03/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) It was very early on in the season to not only add a new species for the garden, but a new moth for my records. A wonderful Small Eggar. Even better, it was a female which are seldom seen to light.
2. Golden-rod Pug 11/04/24 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species) A rare Pug in the east it appears, with random dots here and there. It was great to get this dark form dissected and confirmed. It is a new record for me and the nature reserve. In July I got my 2nd example and added it to the garden list!
3. Grapholita internana 29/04/24 - Aspal Close Nature Reserve, West Suffolk (New species) A brief lunch time wander around this rather noisy nature reserve (right next to Mildenhall) yielded a single Graphilita internana. This is a new species of tortrix moth for me, associated with Gorse, the caterpillars feed within the seed pods.
4. Chrysoesthia sexguttella 09/05/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) A perfect night for a spot of netting on the patio yielded 10 species before the lights were on, this rather dull looking moth to the naked eye, becomes quite smart under magnification. A new species for my records.
5. Niditinea striolella 13/05/24 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (3rd for Cambs) The rarer of the two Nidtinea species was carefully dissected by Colin Plant. There are some records from Wicken Fen, but these are 40+ years old. Chippenham Fen does well for these small birds-nest moth species, fuscella is regularly seen there on my visits.
6. Red-tipped Clearwing 16/06/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) The 8th species of Clearwing was attracted to the VES lure, a very welcome Red-tipped Clearwing. The two obvious missing species are both the Hornet Clearwings, maybe next year?
7. Aproaerema taeniolella 21/06/24 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species) It was great to confirm my first of this species. The diagnostic white on the underside clinched it, the moth was released unharmed after a littler dose of c02. Not a particularly common species, they are very cheeky and will twist and twirl when they alight to the trap, much like metalmark moths do abroad.
8. Haplotinea insectella 21/06/24 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (2nd for Cambs) A rather large speckly Tineid was potted up from the garage doors at Chippenham Fen. Inspecting it through the glass tube, it certainly didn't look quite right for the similar (but generally smaller) Niditinea species, for which Chippenham Fen is a good site for. There is only one previous record of Haplotinea insectella from Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1905! from Wicken Fen.
9. Coleophora pennella 21/06/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New to Cambs) Two selected Coleophora that looked different in my trap in June turned out to be new species for Cambridgeshire, whats more, both were potted up on the same night! The species are more associated with coastal areas and occasionally wandering into the brecks where its foodplant Bugloss is plentiful.
10. Coleophora lassella 21/06/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New to Cambs) The 2nd incredible Coleophora species, a nationally scarce moth typically associated with sand dunes, how it ended up in my garden trap is beyond me. The foodplant Toad-rush is present in Cambs, so maybe there is a population locally.
11. Evergestis extimalis 26/06/24 Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) This species turned up on the busiest night for my moths my garden has ever seen, 123 species were noted and I stayed up until psast midnight jotting and potting. This particular Pyralid I have only previously seen in Essex, my last was in 2013. A very good moth for the garden list and the highlight of the night.
12. Phaulernis dentella 08/07/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) A rather non-descript moth was netted on the evening of the 8th of July. Initially I thought it was either Elachista or maybe an Epermenia, but it was rather dumpy and not behaving at all like any familiar species. It was to be Cambs 2nd ever Phaulernis dentelle, the first taken 118 years ago at, you guessed it, Wicken Fen.
13. Plumed Fan-foot 19/07/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) Highlight of a warm night after the warmest day of the year undoubtedly went to a brand new macro moth for me, a Plumed Fan-foot... well what was left of it, such a terrible state it was. At least the snout and antennae were still present I guess.
I've been lucky to encounter this species abroad a couple of times in Croatia and Slovenia.
14. Orthotelia sparganella 20/07/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd Cambs record) A day later and with the heat still present, another new species for the garden turns up, the cracking reedbed specialist, Orthotelia sparganella, a really unusual looking and rather large micro. I have only ever recorded them previously at Sawbridgeworth Marsh on the Herts/Essex boundary.
15. Stathmopoda pedella 22/07/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) This little colourful character gets a special mention for being such an oddity. It certainly hasn't been a common species for me over the last 18 years. An excellent addition to the garden moth list.
16. Oncocera semirubella 09/08/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A very bright moth brought colour to an otherwise dull trap, my first Rhubard & Custard to the garden trap was very pleasing indeed. Not a rare moth by any standards, but they seem scarcer here in the fens as opposed to my old haunt in north Herts on the preferred chalky soil.
17. Clouded Magpie 11/08/24 - Cranwich Heath, Norfolk (New species for UK records) I was invited by Mark Hows to join himself and Iain Leach at Cranwich Heath, well wev didn't make it threre because of livestock issues, so the camp area had to do, it was quite breezy but we all got plenty of good moths. Best for me were my first UK trapped Clouded Magpies, and there were plenty of them! A great little site that I will return to next year.
18. Silver Y oddity 13/08/24 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (Unusual specimen) A really strange Plusiinae species came to my trap at nearby Chippenham Fen in mid August. It certainly was very strange looking, and I needed to rule out anything rare like certain African and Far East species that shared some resemblance. The moth was dissected a week later by Colin Plant and was indeed just a weird looking Silver Y. Panic over!
19. Depressaria ultimella 26/08/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) A new Depressaridae was always going to be hard to achieve, given that I have seen a fair few of the British species now. So when an ultimella turned up, I was rather shocked. There appear to be only a handful of records here, mostly confined to this area. A fairly plain and boring looking thing I must admit.
20. Lesser Treble-bar 31/08/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) Lesser Treble-bar is one of those moths, where i'm pretty sure I've seen one before, but have probably forgot to check the odd specimen. But then I think back and I can't think of any that I let go without checking the abdomen tip, so I was elated to strike gold in the garden after checking maybe several hundred of them over the last 15 or so years.
21. Dotted Clay 01/09/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) For so late on in the year, it was great to add 3 new garden moths on the 1st of September (normally the new additions fall between May and August, being the time for peak diversity). Dotted Clay was an absolute corker and one I took 3 weeks earlier in Norfolk, but this one was in pristine condition.
22. Anarsia spartiella 01/09/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The other Anarsia species put in an appearance on the same red-letter night on the 1st of September (Discounting the uber rare and only known by 1 record, lineatella). It Feeds from Gorse and Broom (for which Cambridgeshire is pretty much devoid of) but not 10 miles away there are swathes of it in nearby West Suffolk. Clearly a blow-in moth but they all count.
23. Ancylosis oblitella 01/09/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A cracking pyralid this one, with it's colourful mid-riff toothed scales, a moth I've taken infrequently over the years a wanderer or possible migrant. It's another tick for the garden list.
24. Palpita vitrealis 06/09/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) What a stunning moth this Pyralid is, very similar to the infamous Box Moth, but smaller and more refined. I did trap my first last year at Chippenham Fen, and a year prior to that, Leslie Gardiner trapped one in his garden in my village, so I had to strike gold (or white in this instance) at some point. It is a primary migrant to our shores, but there is the potential in the future for localised breeding. Through October I kept getting them and I was up to 9 individuals by the end of the month.
25. Cosmopterix pulchrimella 21/09/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) A teeny tiny moth was found in one of the egg trays come the morning. It was a rather shiny Cosmopterix that I didn't recognise and was sure I had not seen before. I was right, a great record of Cosmopterix pulchrimella.
26. Pale & Dusky Lemon Sallow 04-05/10/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (Back to Back Lemon Sallows) This pair were noteworthy for being just a day apart. AI am very lucky to get Pale-lemon Sallow in the garden, but it appears it isn't common. This being only my second one since 2021. Dusky is more frequent in the county, but this was again only my 2nd garden record. A lovely pair to capture together.
27. Streak 02/11/24 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species) I thought it was all over for new species for the garden, until the 2nd of November featured a cracking Streak flying around the actinic tubes. Certainly an unexpected moth for the garden list, but probably more common towards the east in west Suffolk, where there is a plentiful supply of foodplant for the species to thrive. It was to be a milestone as well, the 400th macro moth species to be recorded in my garden.
Musotima nitidalis
L-album Wainscot
Feathered Ranunculus
Agonopterix nervosa
Blossom Underwing
Beautiful Marbled
Lampronia fuscatella
Gravitarmata margarotana
Perittia obscurepunctella
Black-spotted Chestnut
Cydia pactolana
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