6th July 2019

A quieter night but with some quality yet again. A Lime Hawkmoth was my first since 2012 of this apparently common species. I had forgotten how stunning they are; this one was likened by my son to a Vulcan bomber!

Lime Hawkmoth Mimas tiliae

There were also two quality tortrix species that were completely new to me:

Acleris logiana

Eucosma metzneriana

Eucosma metzneriana especially is of some interest - a relatively recent colonist to the Country where it was apparently first recorded in Cambs (in 1977).

Agapeta zoegana  in contrast should probably have turned up by now but is finally on the garden list:

Agapeta zoegana

Using criteria on British Lepidoptera this looks ok for Coleophora alcyonipennella:

Coleophora alcyonipennella

[516] Coleophora alcyonipennella
[517] Agapeta zoegana
[518] Acleris logiana
[519] Eucosma metzneriana
[520] Lime Hawkmoth

4th July 2019

A heaving trap which necessitated a frantic 2 hour pre-work session getting to grips with what turned out to be an incredible 132 species. This is a record here and I imagine in the rush to get through it  a few more escaped or evaded detection.

The best moth by far was a Small Marbled - a rare migrant from southern Europe. This is actually my second record in Cottenham although this one exorcises a few ghosts. The previous record, in 2015, involved one that made a runner before I grabbed a photo. I was pretty gutted at the time as it seemed doubtful that I would get a second chance. There has a been a small influx of this species in the Country over recent days but its still excellent to get one so far inland.

Small Marbled Eublemma parva

Four species in total were new for the garden:

[512] Caloptilia semifascia
[513] Cnephasia longana
[514] Lesser Wax Moth
[515] Small Marbled

Caloptilia semifascia

Lesser Wax Moth Achroia grisella

Amongst a suite of new for the year moths were:

Broad-barred White Hecatera bicolorata

Double Lobed Lateroligia ophiogramma

29th June 2019

Another muggy night with a trap full of moths to sift through. This time around there were three new for the garden: 

[508] Povolnya leucapennella
[509] Crescent Plume
[510] Striped Wainscot
[511] Dingy Shears

I potted what looked like a Caloptilia species at around 2300 and it was quickly evident that it was something new to me. Even a poor photo of it taken through the pot suggested that it was actually Povolnya leucapennella (which was formerly Caloptilia leucapennella). The only problem was that this species is unrecorded in Hunts while Norfolk Moths only listed a record in 1998 and another in 1874! In fact it is mentioned that the species is 'very rare and not recently observed in south-east England'. There's no doubt about the identification though and I've since learnt that it appears to be the first for VC29.  

The larval foodplant is oak with the larva initially mining the leaf. So its even more of a mystery why an individual has turned up here as opposed to more wooded areas of East Anglia!

Povolnya leucapennella

Crescent Plume is a distinctive but scarce plume moth, recorded just once by me previously in Cottenham:

Crescent Plume Marasmarcha lunaedactyla

Striped Wainscot is commonly recorded when I've visited fenland habitats in the County in the summer but has never turned up here until now. Unfortunately this individual had taken a battering:

Striped Wainscot Mythimna pudorina

New for the year moths included my second record of Spruce-bud Moth, a better marked example than last years individual:

Spruce-bud Moth Zeiraphera ratzeburgiana

....and also Blastodacna hellerella which is annual in very small numbers:

Blastodacna hellerella

I was surprised to find that Dingy Shears was new for the garden - I really thought that I had recorded this in 2017 but obviously not!

Dingy Shears Apterogenum ypsillon

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

2nd March 2019

Some unseasonably warm temperatures has brought out some early spring species a few weeks earlier than usual. Amongst five Orthosia species caught were two Twin-spotted Quaker; I was surprised to find that these were my first in Cottenham never mind the garden.

[489] Twin-spotted Quaker

Twin-spotted Quaker Orthosia munda

Picked up a couple of weeks later was this very smart tortrix:

[490] Acleris cristana

Acleris cristana

26th February 2019

The first decent moth of the year was one that came to the lounge window:

Dotted Border Agriopis marginaria