17th July 2020

Another good selection of moths totalling around 100 species. Two species were new for the garden with both taking over a week to identify!

[593] Phyllonorycter comparella

[594] Gypsonoma minutana

After not recording any Phyllonorycter leaf mining moths to the garden at all previously, this year has been remarkable with multiple individuals of several species. Perhaps I am looking harder at the 'dust' at the bottom of the trap? This one looked distinctive and I was hopeful of putting it down to a particular species:

Phyllonorycter comparella 17.07.2020

Despite suggestions of several species including P. pastorella which has been recorded in the village before I couldn't find an exact match. This was going to be another one I had to let go as being unidentifiable until I trapped a near identical individual on 24 July:

Phyllonorycter comparella 24.07.2020

So this made me put in some more effort to find out what they might be. Finally, I found a match of P. comparella, a rare species of white and grey poplar. There are limited photographs of adults available but ones from Germany etc are compellingly similar. 

In contrast, I should have worked out this Gypsonoma minutana more readily as I had recorded it at Corbett Street:

Gypsonoma minutana

 Other good moths included my second and third Mere Wainscots:

Mere Wainscot Photedes fluxa

This superb Bordered Sallow was also only the second I have recorded:

Bordered Sallow Pyrrhia umbra

Continuing the theme of second records for the garden was this Acleris logiana:

Acleris logiana

New for the year was the smart tortrix Eucosma conterminana:

Eucosma conterminana

21st July 2018

I rarely trap on consecutive nights but on this occasion the forecast convinced me that I should. A reward of six new species for the garden including one of my most wanted species, Peach Blossom, justified it somewhat.

[454] Zelleria hepariella
[455] Phalonidia manniana
[456] Eucosma conterminana
[457] Peach Blossom
[458] Small Wainscot

Peach Blossom didn't disappoint after a nine year wait for one in Cottenham

Peach Blossom Thyatira batis

Zelleria hepariella is a distinctive but rare micro - not sure how many records there have been in VC 29 but its not likely to be many:

Zelleria hepariella

This totricid took a little more work before I settled on its identity:

Phalonidia manniana

Small Wainscot has never been regular in Cottenham and this was a fresh individual:

Small Wainscot Denticucullus pygmina

I was a little surprised that on looking up records that I had recorded A. subpropinquella just once previously in the village:

Agonopterix subpropinquella

After the previous nights influx Horse Chestnut Leaf miners were down to a sorry 50, while Blastobasis adustella are also commoner than they ever have been with >20 recorded each night currently:

Blastobasis adustella

Of other interest was a 'proper' looking Argyresthia albistria after the odd looking individual last month:

Argyresthia albistria

While Bryotropha affinis is regular in small numbers:

Bryotropha affinis