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

10th November 2018

Finally...a long awaited December Moth!

[488] December Moth

December Moth Poecilocampa populi

13th October 2018

After trapping the previous night where there were strong gusts, the continued mild overnight temperatures (and lighter winds)convinced me that I should try again. I was glad that I did despite torrential downpours when opening up the trap...three new species for the garden is rather unexpected in mid October. Overall, c.115 moths of 34 species was an almost unprecedented return for this time of year.

[485] Rhomboid Tortrix
[486] Olive-tree Pearl
[487] Brindled Green

The clear headliner was the Olive-tree Pearl (Palpita vitrealis) which is a scarce migrant nationally with only a handful of Cambridgeshire records. It was the last moth located in the trap and nearly escaped my clutches. 

Olive-tree Pearl Palpita vitrealis

A couple of Acleris type tortrix had me stumped for a while - they are somewhat different to each other but both are clearly the the rather variable Rhomboid Tortrix. A supposedly common species that wasn't really on my radar - wonder if I've overlooked them previously? 

Rhomboid Tortrix Acleris rhombana

Brindled Green is normally noted as a common moth in the autumn but doesn't appear to be so here. This is just my second record in the village with the previous one being in late September 2018.

Brindled Green Dryobotodes eremita

Amongst many other autumn species there were seven Green-brindled Crescent which is by far the most I've caught in one night. Both forms (standard and the melanic f. capucina) were represented:

Green-brindled Crescent Allophyes oxyacanthae

6th October 2018

A single moth new for the garden:

[484] Buttoned Snout

I recorded this Nationally Scarce B species in each of 2013, 2014 and 2015 at Corbett Street so it is an expected addition to the High Street list.

Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis

27th September 2018

An excellent addition to the garden list in the form of:

[483] Cypress Pug

Cypress Pug Eupithecia phoeniciata

This is a species that is slowly spreading its range northwards, although it is still rare in East Anglia. It was first recorded in VC29 in 2013 and there have been a few others since.

16th September 2018

A mild night brought some good moths in again, with four new for the garden:

[479] Dioryctria sylvestrella
[480] Toadflax Brocade
[481] Pink-barred Sallow
[482] Dark Spectacle

The Dioryctria pyralids are rather tricky but the one caught looks good for the largest of the group, D.sylvestrella (AKA New Pine Knot-horn) rather than abietella which I trapped over the summer:

Dioryctria sylvestrella

It was good to reacquaint myself with Toadflax Brocade - just my second record in the village with the previous being August 2015. There is a large stand of the food plant not too far away so its no real surprise that its turned up in the High St garden.

Toadflax Brocade Calophasia lunula

Pink-barred Sallow is surprisingly scarce here it seems - on checking my records this is my only third ever record in Cottenham. It's probably the sharpest of the sallows:

Pink-barred Sallow Xanthia togata

Dark Spectacle isn't too common either, I haven't picked one up since 2013:

Dark Spectacle Abrostola triplasia

Plenty of other moths were in the trap with Square-spot Rustic being ubiquitous at this time of year:

Square-spot Rustic Xestia xanthographa

While Gold Triangle is still on the wing:

Gold Triangle Hypsopygia costalis