27th June 2016

A new moth for me was the less than inspiring Bryotropha domestica but thankfully new for the year/garden Buff Arches and Pebble Prominent were a bit more aesthetically pleasing. A Scorched Carpet was also quite tidy and only the second (I think) that I have caught in Cottenham.

Scorched Carpet Ligdia adustata

Bryotropha domestica

Pebble Prominent Notodonta ziczac 

Altogether another eight species added to the list:

[124] Bryotropha domestica
[125] Codling Moth
[126] Ephestia unicolorella
[127] Common Plume
[128] Barred Straw
[129] Scorched Carpet
[130] Buff Arches
[131] Pebble Prominent 

Ephestia unicolorella

Barred Straw Gandaritis pyraliata

Codling Moth Cydia pomonella

26th June 2016 - Currant Clearwing

Rushed the TIP lure out at 4pm and after around 30 minutes I had to quickly stop play with our two year old - a Currant Clearwing had arrived. I managed to net it and get some decent photos. Excellent!

Also in the garden this afternoon were single Silver Y and Pyrausta aurata.

[122] Pyrausta aurata
[123] Currant Clearwing

23rd June 2016

Another rush of new moths included some dashes of colour from a Green Silver-lines and what is probably the best of the regular hawk-moths - an Eyed. There was also a tidy Small Elephant Hawk-moth which is far from annual here. Sol its just Lime Hawk-moth to go for the garden now for the 'regular' hawkmoths, although this species doesn't appear to be anywhere near as common here in Cottenham than in central Cambridge for example.

Green Silver-lines Pseudoips prasinana

Small Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila porcellus

Eyed Hawk-moth Smerinthus ocellata

A bit more dowdy was a migrant Rush Veneer and an absolutely minuscule micro appears to be Elachista atricomella.  Beautiful Hooktip continues its general increase locally and the 4th of the year appeared amongst some real mid-summer species.

So new moths were:

[110] Elachista atricomella
[111] Eudonia mercurella
[112] Rush Veneer
[113] Treble Brown-spot
[114] Eyed Hawk-moth
[115] Small Elephant Hawk-moth
[116] Common Footman
[117] Double Square-spot
[118] Common Rustic
[119] Straw Dot
[120] Green Silver-lines
[121] The Snout

Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

Straw Dot Rivula sericealis

Beautiful Hooktip Laspeyria flexula

Elachista atricomella

micro challenge / unidentified

23rd July 2016

Nemapogon cloacella?

Eucosma obumbratana?

9th July 2016

Ancylis sp? doesn't appear to be A achatana so possibly uncicella or unguicella?

Tortrix!

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7th July 2016:

Worn Plain Pug or an unlikely Shaded Pug? **EDIT: Seems good for Shaded Pug**

Epinotia immundana?

just Hedya nubiferana? Quite diminutive and lacks significant raised scales. ** EDIT:As pointed out by David Griffiths, quite obviously Plum Tortrix H. pruniana**

Spilonota ocellana? **EDIT: confirmed S. ocellana **

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June 2016

***edit: 27/05/2016: Possibly/probably Elachista atricomella****

22nd June 2016

A muggy night so a good bunch of moths, the pick of which was my first Red-necked Footman. A very smart an usual species although this individuals was found wet and upside down in the trap and consequently looked a bit worn even after recovering in the fridge.

Red-necked Footman Atolmis rubricollis

A nice selection of other moths new for year / garden meaning that 100 species barrier was broken:

[93] Ghost Moth
[94] Scoparia basistrigalis
[95] Agapeta hamana
[96] Clepsis consimilana
[97] Epinotia bilunana
[98] Acrobasis consociella
[99] Ringed China-mark
[100] Riband Wave
[101] Foxglove Pug
[102] Green Pug
[103] Clouded Silver
[104 Figure of Eighty 
[105] Red-necked Footman
[106] Heart and Club
[107] The Nutmeg
[108] Grey / Dark Dagger agg.
[109] Small Fanfoot

Figure of Eighty Tethea ocularis

Epinotia bilunana

Clepsis consimilana

Clouded Silver Lomographa temerata

Foxglove Pug Eupithecia pulchellata

Ghost Moth Hepialus humuli

Green Pug Pasiphila rectangulata

18th June 2016 - Red-belted Clearwing

Tried a few pheromone lures in some seemingly decent conditions around midday. Not a huge amount of success although a single Red-belted Clearwing came in rapidly. This is the same species I lured in at Corbett St, although I recorded many more individuals there. Hopefully I will have chance in weekends to come for some other species.

[92] Red-belted Clearwing

15th June 2016

A fine Beautiful Hooktip was the best moth in a small pool - although it evaded the camera unfortunately. On the other hand I got a second chance in getting some shots of Scorched Wing - a moth of real quality. Otherwise, only Silver Ground Carpet was notable - I see this moth in the daytime out on the outskirts of Cottenham more often than in a trap. 

[89] Chrysoteuchia culmella

[90] Silver Ground Carpet

[91] Beautiful Hooktip

Scorched Wing Plagodis dolabraria

Silver Ground Carpet Xanthorhoe montanata

Rustic Shoulder-knot Apamea sordens

11th June 2016

One of the first moths pulled out of the trap was a weird looking plume - a quick browse of Sterling and Parsons and the distinctive resting posture in a 'Y' shape appeared to be diagnostic for Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii. I rattled off a few poor photos of the now potted and consulted a bit more widely. UK moths detailed that the species " has very distinctive resting posture, with its narrow wings held forward, and the front part of the body raised on the forelegs". So far so good!

Saltmarsh Plume Agdistis bennetii

Its vernacular name was a bit of a giveaway but it was clear that this was a rare moth in deepest VC29. It is a species of coastal saltmarsh restricted in the main to Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincs.... so what was it doing in Cottenham? Interestingly Norfolk Moths details that occasional wanderers can be found inland, and there are a handful of records not far from Cambs. There was also a record in Hunts in August 2014 which was identified at the time then further confirmed by dissection. The only confusion species is the even more unlikely Cliff Plume A. meridionalis found in the south-west and south Wales. 

After waiting a while, I let mine go after getting some better photos. Its not listed in the now dated spreadsheet of VC29 moths, so this is possibly the first for the county (assuming a photographic record is sufficient!).

There were quite a few other new for the garden species:

[75] Phycitodes binaevella

[76] Water Veneer

[77] Large Tabby

[78] Saltmarsh Plume

[79] Crambus pascuella

[80] Small Magpie

[81] Bud Moth

[82] Common Marbled Carpet

[83] Elephant Hawkmoth

[84] Pale Prominent

[85] Iron Prominent

[86] The Flame

[87] Dark Arches

[88] Brown Rustic

Iron Prominent Notodonta dromedarius

Poplar and Privet Hawk-moths

Elephant Hawk-moth Deilephila elpenor

Large Tabby Aglossa pinguinalis

Phycitodes binaevella

Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana

Water Veneer Acentria ephemerella