12 - 13th June 2020

Two warm nights convinced me to do back to back trap nights for the first time in a while. I was rewarded with five new moths for the garden, all of which were lifers:

[576] Paraswammerdamia albicapitella

[577] Phyllonorcycter leucographella

[578] Coleophora mayrella

[579] Cydia nigricana

[580] Blotched Emerald

We'll get the Blotched Emerald out of the way first. I have no photo as it escaped while I tried some cack-handed attempts to pot it. I was pretty gutted as its a stunning moth and one I had been hoping to catch. There have been a few records in recent years in the County but mostly south of the city. 

Paraswammerdamia albicapitella isn't quite as exciting but glad to catch a good specimen after relegating one to the 'possible' camp last year:

Paraswammerdamia albicapitella

I wait 7 years for an identifiable Phyllonorycter leaf miner in the garden and I get two in a couple of weeks. This one is the adventive Firethorn Leaf-miner:

Firethorn Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter leucographella

I've been looking quite hard at the metallic Coleophora in the last couple of years and a notable gap in the garden list was C.mayrella with its distinctive ringed antennae:

Coleophora mayrella

An unassuming tortrix turned out to be Cydia nigricana a pest of pea crops. It is actually quite scarce in the County although not sure it is in Cottenham as I netted one in a local wood later in the afternoon!

Cydia nigricana

A couple of other nice micros were new for the year:

Phtheochroa rugosana

Gypsonoma sociana

15th June 2018

Over 85 species to sift through and rewarded with four new micros for the garden:

[416] Ectoedemia heringella
[417] Apple Leaf Miner
[418] Gypsonoma sociana
[419] Notocelia rosaecolana

A minuscule moth at the bottom of the trap caused me to wander back and forth cluelessly trying to work out what family it was from never mind species. Thanks to Rob Partridge for the identification, it looks like it is Ectoedemia heringella (New Holm-Oak Pigmy). This species was first discovered in 2002 and has since spread substantially; even so it is the leaf mines that are commonly recorded not the adult. 

Ectoedemia heringella

Also tiny was this Apple Leaf Miner (shocking photo I know). I had a run of several records of this species in 2013 and 2014 but not since.

Apple Leaf Miner Lyonetia clerkella

Gypsonoma sociana is, for a black and white tortrix, reasonably distinctive:

Gypsonoma sociana

I can't say the same for various Notocelia / Epiblema species however. A second opinion on this one though has allowed me to claim N. rosaecolana:

Notocelia rosaecolana

I don't record many Catoptria pinella, the smartest of the grass moths that occur here:

Catoptria pinella

Hypsopygia glaucinalis is also annual in very small numbers:

Hypsopygia glaucinalis

 While scoparids are generally a nightmare and unfortunately quite abundant right now (!). This one looks good for the common Eudonia mercurella:

Eudonia mercurella

The fourth Cochylis of the year appeared; this is the most regular species here - C.hybridella:

Cochylis hybridella