David Cousins

😂😂 I’ll give you that one. Very good.

Yep, an early one but that’s par for the course these days.

Acleris umbrana

A pair of Acleris umbrana (quite a size difference so potentially a male and female).

Small Brindled Beauty

Oak Beauty

A few good nights recently at the garden actinic here in Essex. Mostly
the expected early Spring fare but pleased to get my first lifer of the year - Acleris umbrana (Dark-streaked Tortrix) with 2 on 22nd. #teammoth

Two-spot Ladybird hibernating on Digitalis

Likely a nymph of Cloeon dipterum (by far the most common Mayfly I see).

Probable Nemoura cinerea nymph trying to hide within the Pellia.

Platnickina tincta disturbed from its hiding place in among a Lepraria incanana-covered Oak.

Brief sunshine yesterday so over to the chalk stream section of the Flitch Way via some very muddy woods. Two-spot Ladybird, a Mayfly nymph (prob Cloeon dipterum), the 1st time I’ve seen a Stonefly nymph (I have had adults of Nemoura cinerea here) and a lovely Spider - Platnickina tincta.

Early Moth

March Moth

Chestnut

3 new moths for the year on Saturday night. Always pleased to get an Early Moth, and this was a nice fresh one. A fairly early March Moth and a Chestnut took my nascent year list to 11 species so far with 9 of those in the garden. #teammoth

Is that not a Pearly Underwing?

Spring Usher

Winter Moth

Pale Brindled Beauty

Mottled Umber

2 nights of trapping in much more mild conditions here in W Essex with 2 species each night. They are the 4 I’d expect in January but welcomed them like old friends all the same. #teammoth

Happy new year mate, see you soon!

Happy New Year to all! Let’s hope 2026 continues with better moth numbers for all (another trophy for Spurs would be very welcome too!)

Spurge Hawkmoth - doing very well on the Essex saltmarsh.

Rosy Wave

One I’d always wanted - the magnificent Lappet

Said crab

The most memorable night of the year though was on the Essex coast. Some fantastic moths (as seen in pics), but I ended up joining Mr Crab as I paid scant attention to the raising sea levels and had to spend the rest of the evening drenched through 😂 #teammoth

Agonipterix kaekeritziana (Knapweed Buff) - came to light during an evening trapping at Hatfield Forest

Cosmopterix scribaiella (Reed Beauty) - came to light at an Essex Moth Group event at Fingringhoe Wick.

Eidophasia messingiella (White-barred Pointer) - Came to light during an Essex Moth Group event at Cymbeline Meadows, Colchester

Endothenia nigricostana (Hedge Marble) - taken to an ENQUA lure hung in the garden

A superb amount of micros were caught, these 4 all in Essex and probably my favourites of the year (details in alt text) #teammoth

Jersey Mocha

Heath Rustic

Rest Harrow

Four-spotted Footman (the only female in among a population explosion this year).

2025 review: an enjoyable year’s recording with 128 new moths for me. Other than a fruitful few days in the New Forest I mostly stayed local, or slightly further afield (Norfolk and Kent). These though, were the highlight macros from my Essex garden #teammoth

It’s Caloptilia alchimiella/robustella. Bit of an awkward angle to see the granulation well in the ductus but I’d favour robustella.

Quite an increase of these this year in Essex. Only 2 before 2025 and at least 7 this year that I know of.

The Coleophora sp. larval cases I found on sea purselane by the Humber Estuary last October turned out to be C. salinella! Only recorded in Yorkshire for the first time in August last year (I suspect it's been there a while though). #TeamMoth #YorkshireMoths @doublekidney.bsky.social

F*ck me! #TeamMoth

A fresh Jersey Mocha

A probable worn Jersey Mocha

Sallow

Black Rustic

I gendetted the 2nd Jersey Mocha for Essex last year (caught by @jonnywhu.bsky.social), and such has been their increase this year in the county (I know of at least 5 others) I now have caught one myself last night in the garden (in fact, likely 2!). Also some fresh autumn favourites. #teammoth

Historically very rare in Essex too but Graham Ekins found a decent population in some remnant heathland east of Chelmsford a few weeks ago. They could’ve wandered from there but not really the right wind direction and even still that’s 20 miles away.

Heath Rustic

Heath Rustic

A lifer for me in the garden the night before last with a very unexpected Heath Rustic. Must be a migrant of sorts because I am a fair distance from any heathland. #teammoth

Brilliant thanks James. Appreciate it.

Sorry to reply to an old post but accidentally found this larva when looking at leafmines on Hawthorn. The closest match on Bladmineerders appears to be an Ash Whitefly larva, does that look right to you or are there other contenders? Thanks!

Nice one Roy!

Of interest here in Essex this year A tumidana has been far more common than A repandana and I haven’t seen a repandana since mid July whereas tumidana has been seen most nights up until about a week ago.

I came back from a holiday in France on Saturday so it’s possible it’s a stowaway but I certainly didn’t see it until last night so who knows? 🤷‍♂️

Oenopia conglobata

One of the best things about moth trapping in your garden is the bycatch. Last night I had a real surprise when this small ladybird appeared. I didn’t recognise it but it’s seemingly Oenopia conglobata which has only been recorded a handful of times in Britain and not previously in Essex. 🐞

Sea Pea

Sea Holly

Sea Kale

Sea Spurge

Back from my French holiday and delighted that the Cisticola (+family!) was still on site at Walberswick. Went over early this morning with my eldest and we both had good views (but too far for my photography skills). Also a nice selection of seaside plants - Sea Pea being a new one for me.

#teammoth

Wax Moth (Galleria mellonella) and Lesser Wax Moth (Achroia grisella)

Wax on, Wax off 🥋

(Closest I could get them to sit next to each other! Both caught in my garden earlier this week).

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