Welcome

Hello and welcome to my moth Blog. I now reside in a small village in East Cambridgeshire called Fordham. My Blog's aim is to promote and encourage others to participate in the wonderful hobby that is Moth-trapping.
Moth records are vital for building a picture of our ecosystem around us, as they really are the bottom of the food chain. They are an excellent early indicator of how healthy a habitat is. I openly encourage people to share their findings via social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
So why do we do it? well for some people it is to get an insight into the world of Moths, for others it is to build a list of species much like 'Twitching' in the Bird world. The reason I do it....you just never know what you might find when you open up that trap! I hope to show what different species inhabit Cambridgeshire and neighbouring counties.
On this Blog you will find up-to-date records and pictures.
I run a trap regularly in my garden and also enjoy doing field trips to various localities over several different counties.
Please also check out the links in the sidebar to the right for other people's Blogs and informative Websites.
Thanks for looking and happy Mothing!

KEY

NFY = New Species For The Year
NFG = New Species For The Garden
NEW! = New Species For My Records

Any Species highlighted in RED signifies a totally new species for my records.

If you have any questions or enquiries then please feel free to email me
Contact Email : bensale@rocketmail.com

My Latest Notables and Rarities

Sunday 2 October 2016

Migrants abound on the farm

Taking advantage of mass migration at the end of August, I decided to run some traps on the farm again, the weather was mild but clear and the Wasps and Hornets were once again a problem!

The farm at Braughing tends to do very well for migrants and still is the top site in the County for inland migrant records. I am not sure why it is so prolific but it might have something to do with how high the land is above sea level and also how flat and exposed the high area is, almost like a landing strip when lights are run on the concrete roads that surround the farm.
Last year I managed 10 Small Mottled Willow in one night in June see HERE, this year I managed 6! Vestal over 4 traps although 5 were in one trap, unbelievable and after catching 2 the week before I didn't ever think I could better that.
Backed up by other migrants such as Plutella xylostella, Nomophila noctuella, Silver-Y and White-point, it was to be a fantastic night for the end of August.
Also Aproaerema anthyllidella was a new moth for me, but no photo unfortunately as I lost the file :(

There was also my earliest record of Brown-spot Pinion recorded to one of the MV traps.

And I also got my first ever second generation Crambus lathoniellus, this year we have seen a lot of 2nd and even 3rd brood species around.

The commonest moth undoubtedly was Setaceous Hebrew Character with over 400 counted there were at least 450+ with also good numbers of Green Carpet (45+) and Snout (30+)

All in all a huge amount of species for the end of August, when typically mothing is fining down from the Summer as we slowly change seasons.
 
Catch Report - 31/08/16 - Farmland - Braughing Friars - 2x 125w MV Robinson Trap 1x 160w MBT Robinson Trap 1x 80w Actinic Briefcase Trap & 1x 40w Actinic/26w BLB Trap

Macro Moths - 42 Species

Angle Shades 2
Brimstone Moth 18+
Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 1
Brown-spot Pinion 1
Burnished Brass 1
Centre-barred Sallow 7
Common Carpet 1
Common Rustic 3
Common Wainscot 20
Common Wave 2
Copper Underwing 2
Double-striped Pug 1
Dusky Thorn 9
Feathered Gothic 3
Flame Shoulder 3
Flounced Rustic 4
Frosted Orange 1
Garden Carpet 1
Green Carpet 45+
Large Yellow Underwing 15
Latticed Heath 1
Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing 2
Lesser Yellow Underwing 2
Light Emerald 15
Lime-speck Pug 2
Maple Pug 1
Orange Swift 3
Setaceous Hebrew Character 450+
Silver-Y 1
Small Square-spot 3
Small Waved Umber 1
Snout 30+
Square-spot Rustic 20+
Straw Dot 2
Svensson's Copper Underwing 1
Swallow Prominent 1
Vapourer Moth 1
Vestal 6
Vine's Rustic 1
White-point 2
Willow Beauty 1
Yellow Shell 5

Micro Moths - 43 Species

Aproaerema anthyllidella 1 [NEW!]
Acentria ephemerella 11
Acleris forsskaleana 1
Acleris variegana 5
Acrobasis advenella 1
Agapeta hamana 1
Agriphila geniculea 4
Agriphila tristella 3
Blastobasis adustella 10
Cameraria ohridella 5
Carcina quercana 1
Catoptria falsella 7
Celypha lacunana 5
Celypha rosaceana 2
Cochylimorpha straminea 1
Cochylis molliculana 2
Cochylis hybridella 5
Crambus lathoniellus 1
Ditula angustiorana 1
Ectoedemia decentella 1
Elophila nymphaeata 1
Emmelina monodactyla 1
Endrosis sarcitrella 2
Epinotia abbreviana 1
Epiphyas postvittana 1
Eudonia mercurella 2
Endrosis sarcitrella 2
Eudonia pallida 1 
Euzophora pinguis 1
Evergestis forficalis 3
Nomophila noctuella 2=
Oegoconia sp 1
Pleuroptya ruralis 12
Plutella xylostella 15+
Pandemis corylana 1
Prays fraxinella 2
Pseudargyrotoza conwagana 1
Scrobipalpa costella 1
Yponomeuta evonymella 1
 
Frosted Orange











Vapourer Moth













White-point













Centre-barred Sallow












Celypha rosaceana Female and Male







An Early Brown-spot Pinion.













Vestals
 

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