As you may well know a lot of species groups and especially moths are recorded by the Watsonian Victorian vice-counties created by H.C.Watson in 1852. Under this system Bedfordshire is classified as VC30 and the boundary of this is roughly the same as that of the administrative county of Bedfordshire with a few exceptions listed below:-
In VC30 but not Bedfordshire administrative - Eaton Socon (Cambs.), Holwell (Herts.), Humbershoe & Buckwood (Herts.), Tilbrook (Cambs.), part of Wymington (Northants.), part of Astwood (Northants.)
In Bedfordshire administrative but not VC30 - Farndish (VC32),
Woodbury (VC29), Kensworth & part of Caddington - now including a large part of
Dunstable (VC20), part of Studham (VC20), Linslade (VC24) & Wavendon Heath
(VC24)
Our recording is within VC30 but to maintain commonality
with the boundaries used in the book "The Butterflies & Moths of
Bedfordshire" records are kept that lie within the Bedfordshire
Administrative boundaries as well when they come to our notice.
All the above may have confused you but the important way of sorting this out is
by submitting the Ordnance Survey grid reference of the site you found the moth
to at least a 1km square if possible.
Individual or small numbers of records can be sent by post or email to the recorders at the addresses below and they will be happy to answer any identification queries you may have by phone or email. Recording spreadsheets for macro-moths can be supplied by email and paper sheets are also available. If you find a rare species please try and contact the recorders as soon as possible so that the moth can be viewed and the identification checked (see the county checklists on this website). Please also note that common species outside their usual flight period within the county require photographs as proof, this applies to both early and late records. The "acceptable" date ranges for the county are on the macro moth checklist.
Many people are also using iRecord to submit their records to us. Please if
using this do ideally use the
moth recording form or use the app downloadable from the Apple Tunes store
or Google Play. If using the app please use the moth recording function on there
as it provides us with additional record information such as recording methos.
Press and hold the add records + button and the option will pop up.
Please DO NOT use iNaturalist as we do not currently see records on there, cannot verify them and so they are "lost" records sadly of little use.
PLEASE DO NOTE IF RECORDING LIGHT TRAP RESULTS THAT THE RECORD DATE SHOULD BE
WHEN THE LIGHT IS SWITCHED ON NOT THE
MORNING AFTER WHEN INSPECTED.
Following the retirement of David Manning as county micro moth recorder in March 2016, the recorders for all moths in vc30 are Andy & Melissa Banthorpe (who have been county macro moth recorders since October 2006)
Their contact details are below:-
Andy & Melissa Banthorpe
32 Long Close, Lower Stondon, Bedfordshire, SG16 6JS
Tel: 01462 850753
Mobile: 07885 159380
The map below shows the species density for macro-moths recorded in Bedfordshire as of the end of 2015 mapped by 2km square. There are a few datasets still missing for 2015 so a few records are still to be added. Please note that aggregate species are also included in the counts so the actual species number for a site may be 7 or so lower. The key is next to the map:-
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White = less than 20 species |
The map below shows the species density for macro-moths in Bedfordshire using only records from 1st January 2000 to date. The year 2000 was chosen as as it matches with the maps in the new provisional national atlas and also the Moths of Hertfordshire. Please note that aggregate species are also included in the counts so the actual species number for a site may be 7 or so lower.
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White = Less than 20 species |
The map below shows the species density for micro-moths recorded in Bedfordshire as of the end of 2015 mapped by 2km square. Please note that aggregate species are also included in the counts so the actual species number for a site may be a few lower. The key is next to the map:-
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Not shown = less than 20 species |
The map below shows the species density for micro-moths in the national leafminers scheme recorded in Bedfordshire as of the end of 2015 mapped by 2km square. The key is next to the map:-
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Not shown = less than 5 species |
Maps last updated: May 2021
