A summary of the Moths of 2025.

Thursday 4th December 2025.

My first ever Miller moth was recorded on the 20th June in my garden.

As December has reached us, I have decided to put my Moth Box away for the year and sum up the total moths seen this year at a variety of locations in 2025. A superb total of 44 new moth species for my UK Moth Life List were recorded that included 11 macro moths and a staggering 33 micro moths.

Another cracking new macro moth to my life list was this Rosy Wave that was recorded on the 13th June in my garden.

My Life List now stands at 422 ‘macro’ moths and 305 ‘micro’ moths, 727 moth species in all. These were all recorded at various locations including my garden, Andy Fisher’s garden (Cowplain Marsh) and Devon (twice). Some species did elude me this year which was a bit disappointing, but to get the variety I had was somewhat incredible with some mornings, exceeding 200+ moths when we had a period of very warm weather. Also, being on the south coast, I encountered some good ‘Continental’ moths, notably my first ever Sombre Brocade, Sand Dart, Rosy Wave and Small Marbled.

Above, on the 23rd March, this Lichen Tortrix was in my Moth Box and below, this Marbled Fern was an incredible find within my Moth Box on the 28th March.

The Moths that were new to my Life List were as follows: 

MACRO MOTHS:

• Blotched Emerald
• Brown Rustic
• Dark Umber
• Grey Pug
• Maple Pug
• Miller
• Plain Pug
• Rosy Wave
• Sand Dart
• Sombre Brocade
• Water Ermine 

MICRO MOTHS:

• Heath Knot-horn (Pumpelia palumbella)
• Holly Tortrix (Rhopobota naevana)
• Scarce Oak Stilt (Povolyna leucapennella)
• Little Grass-moth (Platytes carussella)
• Banded Honeysuckle Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter trifasciella)
• Norway Maple Leaf-miner (Phyllonorycter joannisi)
• White-faced Tortrix (Pandemis cinnemomeana)
• Tawny Sycamore Piercer (Pammene aurita)
• Barred Yellowneck (Oegoconia deauratella)
• Large Longhorn (Nematogopan swammerdamella)
• Marbled Fern (Musotima nitidalis)
• Thistle Marble (Lobesia abscisana)
• Speckled Fanner (Glyphipterix thrasonella)
• Dark-barred Straw (Eupoecilia angustana)
• The Minister (Eulia ministrana)
• Shaded Tortrix (Eucosma obumbratana)
• Diamond-back Marble (Eudemis profundana)
• Small Marbled (Eublemma parva) 
• Black-marked Tortrix (Epinotia ramella)
• Pale Water-veneer (Donacaula forficella)
• Western Thyme Knot-horn (Delplanqueia dilutella)
• Beech-mast Piercer (Cydia faglglandana)
• Verge Case-bearer (Coleophora trochilella)
• Apple Leaf Skeletonizer (Choreutis pariana)
• Gold-barred Marble (Celypha aurofasciana)
• Willow Stilt (Caloptilia stigmatella)
• Black-dot Stilt (Caloptilia populetorum) 
• Apple Nymph (Callisto denticullela)
• Dark Spruce Knot-horn (Assara terebrella)
• Thrift Elder (Aristotelia brizella)
• Purple-washed Tip Moth (Argyresthia semifusca)
• Tufted Oak Knot-horn (Acrobasis tumidana)
• Lichen Tortrix (Acleris literana)
• Dark-marked Tortrix (Acleris laterana)     

Above, this Tufted Oak Knot-horn was in the Moth Box on the 30th July and below, a long awaited Blotched Emerald finally was found in my garden Moth Trap on the 1st June.

For 2025, a total of 375 moth species were recorded that included 224 macro and 151 micro moths. My Life list now currently stands at 727 species seen in the UK. I am looking forward to 2026 and see if I can add to my total. We shall see.