2025 Garden Moth review

 A few weeks ago the Warks micro moth recorder dropped by to collect my 2025 specimens. Unlike when you identify birds, a few moths cannot be identified while they are alive. The results are now in, and my 11 specimens turned out to be 10 moths and a "hairy fly". All of these creatures are tiny, and disappointingly only two turned out to be new for my garden. One of these Epinotia abbreviana was quite a common moth, and I should probably have been able to work it out myself.

Brown Elm Tortrix Epinotia abbreviana

The other "new" one was White-speckled Fungus Moth Nemapogon koenigi was only the sixth for Warwickshire and could not have been confirmed without dissection.

Nemapogon koenigi

The arrival of these results concluded what turned out to be my best year of moth-trapping since I began in 2018, and prompted me to review my garden moth list and discover I had overlooked about eleven species (and also counted one twice).

So here are some stats. In 2025 I trapped on 37 days and caught 2508 moths of 278 species. My previous best year was 2020 when I caught 2031 moths of 253 species (but trapped on 61 days). I'd like to think my good results in 2025 are down to the careful nurturing of our untidy garden, but its probably more because it was a very warm dry summer.

These are the 36 new moths for the garden in 2025 and their status in the West Midlands/Warwickshire:

Micros 

Rusty-dot Pearl Udea ferrugalis - A common migrant to the region

Cherry-bark Tortrix Enarmonia formosana - Locally common

Triple-spotted Nest Moth Tinea trinotella - Fairly common resident

Brindled Tortrix Gypsonoma minutana - Nationally Scarce B, and very scarce in Midlands

Gypsonoma minutana

Buff Mompha Mompha epiliobella - Very common locally.

White-speckled Fungus Moth Nemapogon koenigi - Sixth record for Warwickshire.

Dark Blackthorn-tip Moth Argyresthia albistriana - Common locally

Brassy Y Argyresthia goedartella - Very common locally

Southern Apple Moth Recurvaria nanella - Uncommon locally

Southern Apple Moth (aka Brindled Shoot) Recurvaria nanella

Italian Bark Moth Metalampra italica - A naturalised species, still rare but increasing.

Lettuce Bell Eucosma conterminana - Local and scarce.

Brown Elm Tortrix Epinotia abbreviana - Fairly common locally

Regal Piercer Pammene regiana - Fairly common.

Common Spruce Tortrix Epinotia tedella - Local.

European Corn-borer Ostrinia nubilalis - A rare migrant.

European Corn-borer Ostrinia nubilalis

Brindled Apple-tip Moth Argyresthia curvella - Fairly common.

Marsh Lance Bactra fufurana - Uncommon locally.

Large Tabby Aglossa pinguinalis - Local and declining.

Dark-barred Tortrix Syndemis musculana - Common.

Macros 

Figure of Eight Diloba caeruleocephala - Uncommon and declining

Cypress Carpet Thera cupressata - Uncommon but spreading.

Cypress Carpet

Frosted Orange Gortyna flavago - Fairly common

Red Underwing Catocala nupta - Fairly common

Small Rufous Coenobia rufa - Uncommon locally (a marshland species)

Plain Pug Eupithecia simpliciata - Uncommon locally

Plain Pug

Gypsy Moth Lymantria dispar - Probably naturalised and very rare.

Gypsy Moth

Garden Dart Euxoa nigricans - Uncommon and declining.

Lunar Hornet Moth Sesia bembeciformis - Common (but hard to find)

Red-belted Clearwing Synanthedon myopaeformis - Fairly common (very hard to find)

Yellow-legged Clearwing Synanthedon vespiformis - Local

Pinion-streaked Snout Schankia costaestrigalis - Common

Four-spotted Footman Lithosia quadra - Rare migrant, but increasing.

Four-spotted Footman

Brown Scallop Philereme vetulata - Uncommon locally

Broken-barred Carpet Electrophaes corylata - Common

Grey Birch Aethalura punctulata - Fairly common

Shoulder Stripe Eorophila badiata - Common.

I will resume trapping on the first Friday in March 2026, but already the first moth of the year has been attracted to the kitchen window. A micro called Agonopteryx heracliana/ciliella, another one I should have taken as a specimen. However, I did that once and it was heracliana, so I have left it as unidentified to species level.