I ran my 20w Actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne for 4 hours before temperature plummeted, results were Common Quaker (3); Small Quaker (5); Clouded Drab (2). 10/3
I ran my 20w Actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne on 17th March 2026 between 18:30hrs – 22:00 hrs, result – Common Quaker (6); Double-striped Pug (2), Agonopterix heracliana agg (1). I ran my 20w Actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne, overnight on 18th March 2026 results – Common Quaker (20);
I ran my 20w garden moth trap between 18:30 – 22:45 hrs in Melbourne on 9th March 2026, results are as follows – 8 Common Quaker; 1 Shoulder Stripe; 1 Twin-spotted Quaker (both NFY) and 1 Chestnut. 11/4.
The first Lead-coloured Drab recorded in VC57 since 2021 was attracted to a garden moth trap overnight on 8th March 2026 at Cromford. Lead-coloured Drab have bipectinate antennae (meaning having two margins that are toothed like a comb), this helps to eliminate Clouded Drab, a confusion species. Lead-coloured Drab was once a common species in
I ran my 20w actinic trap from 18:30 – 22:30hrs from my garden in Melbourne, Derbyshire – Results were Common Quaker (14); Small Quaker (1) and Grey Shoulder-knot (1) which was new for year (NFY). 16/3.
I ran my 20w actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne overnight on 5th March 2026. Results as follows: Diurnea fagella (Early Reveller) 3 (inc 1 mellanic form); Agonopterix heracliana/ciliella agg 2; Common Quaker 10; Double-striped Pug 2; Oak Beauty 1; March Moth 1.
I ran my 20W actinic overnight on 3rd March 2026 from my garden in Melbourne, South Derbyshire. Results as follows – Oak Beauty (3); Common Quaker (3); Hebrew Character (7). 13/3.
On 21st February 2026 a superb colour variant (aberration) was trapped by Christian Heintzen at Long Clough, Glossop. The moth was so distinctive and unusually marked, it prompted Christian to do some digging, to find out exactly what the variant was likely to be. After making a search on the National History portal and subsequent
I ran my 20W actinic moth trap overnight in my Melbourne garden. Results as follows – Acleris literana (NFG) 1; Common Quaker 9; March Moth 3; Clouded Drab 3; Satellite 1; Small Quaker 1; Oak Beauty 1. 19/7
The larval cases of Dahlica triquetrella were discovered by Mark Radford on 8th and 10th February 2026, whilst he was searching local cemeteries and churchyards for this species and for Luffia lapidella. On 8th February larval cases were found at Eckington Cemetery and on 10th February more were discovered at Bolsover Churchyard. Winged males do
My first moth trap for 2026 was on 11th February when I ran my 20W actinic in the garden from 17:30 – 22:30hrs – One Chestnut and one Common Quaker (possibly my earliest ever in the garden)
We start the year with one of the earliest species to emerge, the Spring Usher. Typically the males are on the wing, just as winter is ending, from January through to March. The females are wingless, looking more like a spider, or a strange looking beetle than a moth, and are more tricky to locate
A new species of micro moth was discovered on 4th January 2026 by Will Soar. He recorded the larval case/s of Luffia lapidella at Willington. A species of “bagworm”, commonly known as the Ramshorn Bagworm, which is one of the most commonly recorded in England and Wales, so this came as somewhat of a surprise
Bryan Barnacle recorded the third record for VC57 Derbyshire on 16th December 2025 at Froggatt of Carpatolechia decorella during daylight, as he watched it fly across his garden landing on a nearby window. After a number of tentative conversations on the ID of the moth, which does not show the usual markings of the species,
Martin Roome recorded the Sprawler at Smiths Gorse, Foremark, which is located in South Derbyshire, on 5th November 2025. The first record since 9th November 2021, when I was fortunate to see one that was trapped at Kings Newton by Will Soar. Due to the late flight period, on the wing during October –
Yesterday, 20th November 2025, was an exciting day as Emily Milnes and myself travelled down to Bristol to attend the National Biodiversity Network Trust Conference and Awards Ceremony for 2025. Back in January 2025, Emily entered the Derbyshire Moth Verification and Recording Team into the NBN Awards Group Category for Wildlife Recording. In September we
The leaf mine of Ectoedemia intimella has been found by Christian Heintzen at Sett Valley Trail on 13th November 2025. This represents the first record in Derbyshire, of this leaf miner, since 1975. A full account of the species can be found on the species page 4.082 (BF25).
I ran my 20w Actinic moth trap from my garden in Melbourne, Derbyshire on 2nd November for just over five hours and recorded a single Brick. A new species for the year so not a waste of time. A well worn individual.
