Fog all!

Usually when I potter out into the garden at this time of year in my customary optimistic style expecting to see no moths in the trap I am made to eat my words as there's at least one Hebrew Character or Common Quaker. Last night the temperature in my garden was still above ten degrees at about 11.30pm and I haven't had a zero for weeks now, even on those much colder nights. But this morning it happened. When I finally located my traps in the thick fog, there was indeed not a sign of a moth. The banded snail that has taken residence in my MV trap was still in there happily rasping away at the egg cartons - I leave it in there hoping, probably in vain, that one day I'll get off my lazy backside and identify which species it is. There wasn't even a cockchafer which have been coming in in small numbers for the last week. Given this, I was, even by my standards, extraordinarily unhopeful about what I would find in two actinic traps I set at Millbrook Mead (VC 23) last night, but there was at least a handful of moths which included my first Clouded Border of the year and two nice fresh Muslin Moths. Marc Botham, Benson

Muslin Moth at Millbrook Mead 29th April

Cockchafer at Millbrook Mead 29th April