23rd June 2019

The best night of the year  by some distance with 104 species recorded...and 500 up! The new moths
included eight new for the garden which is fairly incredible all things considered. There was some real quality too:

[500] Morophaga choragella
[501] Calybites phasianipennella
[502] Aroga velocella
[503] Lozotaenia forsterana
[504] Platytes cerussella
[505] Lobster Moth
[506] The Shark
[507] Scarce Silver-lines

The clear headliner was the Lobster Moth - not something I ever expected to get here considering the limited woodland cover. Indeed, Chippenham Fen is the only place I have come across it before. It was located on the fence by my 5 year old after I had walked past it several times.

Lobster Moth Stauropus fagi

Morophaga chroragella was more anticipated but still new to me:

Morophaga chorogella

The single photo I obtained of the Calybites phasianipennella before it made its exit is a bit rubbish but fortunately it was of the distinctive quadruplella form:

Calybites phasianipennella f. quadruplella

Gelechiids are normally quite tricky to pin down but this one was readily identified as Aroga velocella. It is presumably quite local in Cambs, although seems quite regular in Breckland over the border:

Aroga velocella

I recorded the large tortricid Lozotaenia forsterana once or twice in my old garden but it doesn't appear to be too common locally:

Lozotaenia forsterana

Another species that has a stronghold in the Brecks and uncommon in the Fens is this small crambid, Platytes cerussella:

Platytes cerussella

The Shark has been missing from my Cottenham traps for quite a few years:

Shark Cucullia umbratica

Also missing for while was Scarce Silver-lines - an immaculate moth that is always a highlight:

Scarce Silver-lines Bena bicolorana

19th June 2019

Just one short of 500! I failed to recognise Holly Tortrix even though I have recorded one before at Corbett Street..nevermind.

[498] Teleiopsis diffinis
[499] Holly Tortrix

Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana

So after struggling to the tortrix I was pleased to get this gelechid confirmed, which appears to be scarce locally:

Teleiopsis diffinis

The highlight wasn't any of the above though - I can't get tired of Goat Moths even though I've now recorded them three years running:

Goat Moth Cossus cossus

There was also the second garden record of the amazing Peach Blossom:

Peach Blossom Thyatira batis

Also only recorded once before was this Aethes beatricella:

Aethes beatricella

While Eucosma cana and Scoparia basistrigalis were new for the year:

Eucosma cana

Scoparia basistrigalis

1st June 2019

A warm night, so not even the distraction of the Champions League Final put me off putting the trap out. 70+ species were the reward with an excellent five new for the garden:

[493] Bucculatrix albedinella

[494] Cydia conicolana

[495] Ochreous Pug

[496] Treble Bar

[497] Poplar Kitten

So I'm a few away from 500 - what will species will it be that gets the High Street garden list to that landmark? Probably another pug.....

There were two Bucculatrix species at the bottom of the trap - one being B. ulmella which I caught last year. Two other individuals were clearly different and most closely match B. frangutella, a seemingly scarce species associated with buckthorn. 

EDIT August 2020: the black apical streak and the shape/size of the moth strongly indicate albedinella rather than frangutella. Thanks to Jon Heath for the conversation on sorting out tricky Bucculatrix.

Bucculatrix albedinella

A tiny but smart tortrix was also difficult to pin down but it looks good for Cydia conicolana rather than the similar C. coniferana. Both are pine species and rare in the County (and Nationally Scarce B).

Cydia conicolana

I thought I might have been overlooking Ochreous Pug, but this individual was fairly obvious:

Ochreous Pug Eupithecia indigata

After recording Lesser Treble Bar in Norfolk last week, I was somewhat surprised to get two Treble Bars at home a few days later. This is a long awaited addition to my Cottenham list though.

Treble Bar Aplocera plagiata

I recorded Poplar Kitten in my first full year of Cottenham trapping in 2008 but not since. In fact after grilling many Sallow Kittens over the years I started to wonder if I had strung that old record. This one seems to have all the required features:

Poplar Kitten Furcula bifida

Norfolk Moths - May 2019

A couple of trap nights with the actinic in Hindringham brought a handful of lifers:

Clouded-bordered Brindle Apamea crenata

Grass Rivulet Perizoma albulata

Lesser Treble Bar Aplocera efformata

Marbled Brown Drymonia dodonaea

A nearby patch of buttercups held decent numbers of two day flying micros:

Micropterix calthella

Glithipterix simplicella

24th May 2019

Its been a slow spring for moths here with consistently cold nights so glad to get some numbers in the trap at last. Two tricky micros were of most interest - the first being two Coleophora individuals, which I normally ignore as the multitude of species in this genera are generally only identifiable through dissection. These seemed pretty distinctive though and certain features (e.g. red eye and orange eyelashes!) appear to be diagnostic for the rare and local C. amethystinella.

Coleophora amethystinella

The second micro was a somewhat worn tortrix. After some deliberation it looks ok for Lathronympha strigana - a species I recorded in Norfolk last year, although it was a much brighter individual. 

Lathronympha strigana

[491] Coleophora amethystinella
[492] Lathronympha strigana

Otherwise, a Case-bearing Clothes Moth in the house was somewhat less welcome:

Case-bearing Clothes Moth Tinea pellionella