Just a reminder to those who may be new to mothing that although numbers have now fallen off a cliff there are still a few species out there to be found, some of which you won't see at any other time of year. Provided that the temperature is a few degrees above freezing at dusk, even if a frosty and clear night is forecast there will still be moths around for the first few hours after dark. In fact last night was quite a good example of that here, with December Moth (1), Feathered Thorn (1), Scarce Umber (1), Sprawler (2) and Chestnut (1, the first arrival even before it was properly dark) all appearing by 10pm. The only addition between then and dawn this morning (by which time we had a light frost) was a third Sprawler. Running a trap even for just an hour or two from dusk can often net you a handful of moths over the winter months.
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| Scarce Umber, Westcott 15th November |
Last night's Scarce Umber here (above) is one of those moths which only fly at this time of year. It is quite common and widespread but is usually found only during November locally, unlike Mottled Umber which keeps going well into the new year.
Dave Wilton Westcott, Bucks
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