24th June 2017

A really superb night with 93 species identified - a record for the High Street garden (I only reached the 100 species mark once or twice at Corbett Street). Although few were new for me in Cottenham, ten were new for the garden:

[320] Teleioides vulgella
[321] Juniper Webber
[322] Mompha ochraceella
[323] Coloeophora deuratella
[324] Acleris forsskaleana
[325] Acleris schalleriana
[326] Lobesia abscisana
[327] Old Lady
[328] Round-winged Muslin
[329] Short-cloaked moth


Acleris schalleriana is still rather rare in the County and I seemingly had the first (in 2014):

Acleris schalleriana

Acleris forsskaleana is more regular but was just missing last year:

Acleris forsskaleana

I've studiously avoided any moth from the genus Coleophora - they are mostly impossible to identify without dissection. This striking individual looks good for C. deauratella though - so I'll claim it..

Coleophora deauratella

Juniper Webber is a distinctive gelechid I've recorded only once before (in 2014):

Juniper Webber Dichomeris marginella

Teleiodes vulgella is less striking and also much more common  - but was just one of those that didn't turn up last year:

Teleiodes vulgella 

Mompha ochraceella

Lobesia abscisana

For some reason I've never been that fond of Old Lady moths - this one though is quite fresh so not that bad at all:

Old Lady Mormo maura

This is the second Round-winged Muslin I've caught in Cottenham:

Round-winged Muslin Thumatha senex

And two Short-cloaked moths were rather notable - I've only again recorded a single before in the village:

Short-cloaked Moth Nola cucullatella

21st June 2017

With overnight temperatures remaining high, the catch was good again although not quite as diverse as two nights ago. Three were new for the garden:

[317] Monochroa palustrellus

[318] Anarsia innoxiella

[319] Beautiful China-mark

The two gelechids caused me identification headaches for a while. No Anarsia are illustrated in Sterling & Parsons and I found reference to Peach Twig Borer (Anarsia lineatella) eventually, which seemed to fit. However, thanks to David Griffiths and Bill Mansfield I was pointed in the direction of a paper published in 2017 describing a new species, Anarsia innoxiella, which may be more likely to occur in the region. I sent photos to Steve Fletcher who runs http://www.gelechiid.co.uk/ who confirmed the identification. So, possibly a first for the County?

Anarsia innoxiella

 Monochroa palustrellus was a little easier to work out but is still a fairly local species:

Monochroa palustrellus

Beautiful China-mark Nymphula nitidulata

Best of the new for the year bunch was this tremendous Large Emerald, the second record here and in much better condition than last years:

Large Emerald Geometra papilionaria

I've caught Common Emerald on each of the last three trapping nights; last year was the first year that I failed to record this species:

Common Emerald Hemithea aestivaria

19th June 2017

The Scarlet Tiger was certainly unexpected and a stunning moth to catch here. It actually landed on the trap just as I was giving it a check at 23:15 - brilliant. I used to get numbers of this moth in my garden in central Oxford - this was before I knew much about moths but I still have a few photos of them I think. Over this way, they are rather rare - not sure about VC29 but pretty much unheard of in Norfolk for example. 

There were also a few other good moths amongst 85 species recorded, with a total of six new for the garden:

[312] Argyresrthia brockeella

[312] Cherry Fruit Moth

[313] Aethes beatricella

[314] Variegated Golden Tortrix

[315] Scarlet Tiger

[316] Blackneck

The Argyresrthia brockeella was tricky to photograph but eventually it worked out ok. A very smart little moth indeed and the first for me away from Chippenham Fen:

Argyresthia brockeella

In the same genus as the above, the Cherry Fruit Moth was a lifer for me:

Cherry Fruit Moth Argyresthia pruniella

Yet another lifer, was this Aethes beatricella, a fairly local species:

Aethes beatricella

The Variegated Golden Tortrix isnt bad looking either:

Variegated Golden Tortrix Archips xylosteana

Blackneck is always scarce here and this is my first record since 2012:

Blackneck Lygephila pastinum

Other decent moths included the first adult Vapourer for the garden after a caterpillar last year:

Vapourer Orgyia antiqua

Grey Pug Eupithecia subfuscata

Fan-foot Herminia tarsipennalis

19th June 2017 - Scarlet Tiger

16th June 2017

The overnight temperatures have gone through the roof, so too have the moths. A really superb session with about 100 species recorded. In common with last year, no single species occurred in any real abundance but a tremendous 14 were new for the garden meaning that the 300 is up:

[295] Nemapogon koenigi
[296] Tinea semifulvella
[297] Hollyhock Seedmoth
[298] White Plume Moth
[299] Phteochroa rugosana
[300] Cochylis nana
[301] Aleimma loeflingiana
[302] Green Oak Tortrix
[303] Endothenia gentianaeana
[304] Calamotropha paludella
[305] Anania perlucidalis
[306] Leopard Moth
[307] Common Emerald
[308] The Miller
[309] White Point
[310] Cream-bordered Green Pea

Nemapogon klagei (known previously as N. wolffiella) took a while to work out as it isn't illustrated in Sterling and Parsons. Its seems to be pretty rare everywhere and it would be good to find out how many records there have been in VC29.

Nemapogon koenigi

Less scarce but still completely new to me was the related Tinea semifulvella:

Tinea semifulvella

I recorded Hollyhock Seedmoth a few times at Corbett St and considering how scarce it apparently is, I've recently been concerned that I was guilty of some stringing. This individual does however look ok to me:

Hollyhock Seedmoth Pexicopia malvella

Phteochroa rugosana is simply a brilliant moth and the first I've recorded since 2015:

Phteochroa rugosana 

Green Oak Tortrix is seemingly rare in Cottenham and I've only recorded 3 individuals before (all in 2013). Therefore it was somewhat surprising to catch four in one go - only this individual remained a decent shade of green though:

Green Oak Tortrix Tortrix viridana

This very smart tortrix looks good for Endothenia gentianaeana and is completely new to me:

Endothenia gentianaeana 

This Calamatropha paludella was nearly overlooked as a grass moth, so preventing a lifer slipping through:

Calamotropha paludella

I really thought  that I had recorded Anania perlucidalis before but a search of various spreadsheets suggests not. In any case two of these were present in the trap:

Anania perlucidalis

So, on to one of my favourite moths, the brilliant Leopard. Happy to have this on the High Street list:

Leopard Moth Zeuzera pyrina

Two Cream-bordered Green Pea were in the trap, a distinctive macro species that is pretty much annual:

Cream-bordered Green Pea Earias clorana

13th June 2017

Still relatively small catches but micros are starting to be little more prevalent. Two species were new for the garden:

[293] V-pug
[294] Small Square-spot

Small Square-spot is a species that has studiously avoided my traps in Cottenham despite appearing in most places I've trapped elsewhere locally. Its a shame therefore that this one was so battered:

Small Square-spot Diarsia rubi

V-Pug surprisingly didn't turn up last year, so good to get one early on in 2017:

V-pug Chloroclystis v-ata

New for the year moths included Nephopterix angustella, a species that was new for me only last year:

Nephopterix angustella

Treble Brown Spot:

Treble Brown Spot Idaea trigeminata

and Yellow Shell:

Yellow Shell Camptogramma bilineata

10th June 2017

A reasonable bunch of moths overnight included the gardens third Pine Hawkmoth and a belated first in a Common Wave.

The most interesting moth was a micro though - quite quickly identified as Assara terebrella, which is Nationally Scarce A and with very few records in VC29.

Assara terebrella

Common Wave Cabera exanthemata

[291] Assara terebrella
[292] Common Wave

10th June 2017 - more clearwings

More in hope than expectation I put both FOR and VES lures out at 3pm despite some blustery conditions. An Orange-tailed Clearwing soon came in to VES and was quickly netted. I was pleased to get a photo as I managed to let one escape last year without getting any sort of record.

Orange-tailed Clearwing Synanthedon andrenaeformis

At about 4pm a Red-tipped Clearwing came in to FOR, a garden first. However my netting attempt was completely inept and the moth made a quick exit. I left the lure out for another half hour but it didn't return. So will have to try again for that one....

[290] Red-tipped Clearwing

2nd June 2017

The first Cochylis species of the year looked interesting on first glance and I quickly suspected C.molliculana. This is a species I caught at Corbett St in 2013 and was narrowly beaten to the first for VC29 (one was caught at Wicken Fen in 2012).

I haven't heard of any further records since although there have been one or two in Hunts while Andy Banthorpe reports several in Beds this year. So tentatively a third for Cambs but I imagine a few more records might come out of the woodwork. 

[289] Cochylis molliculana

Cochylis molliculana

30th May 2017

Just the one new moth in a distinctly average catch:

[288] Small Clouded Brindle

I've only recorded this species once before in Cottenham so good to get it on the High Street list.

Small Clouded Brindle Apamea unaimis

 Just a few species were new for the year inclding Figure of Eighty, Clouded Silver and the below Buff-tip and Celypha lacunana.

Buff-tip Phalera bucephala

Celypha lacunana

28th May - Clearwing lures

Sunny and a slight breeze meant it looked good for getting some pheromones out for the first time this year. I targeted two of the early season species that I haven't recorded before - both being seemingly rare in the area. These were Large Red-belted (CUL lure) and Yellow-legged (VES lure). 

Nothing happened for a couple of hours then one came in to  CUL ...but I was slightly disappointed to find it was a Red-belted. I was a little surprised that it had come in to the 'wrong' lure but any clearwing is still good to see....

Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon myopaeformis