Agonopterix assimilella is another micro which spends the winter as a small larva. The foodplant is broom. The caterpillars live beneath leaves spun to stems, or between thin stems - look for silk or discolouration.

There are only two current sites and a handful of historic records. It should be widespread in the west of the county in association with the foodplant.

Here's an interesting species you can look for throughout the winter. It's Celypha woodiana, one of the few tortrix moths that mine in the larval stage. It has quite a limited uk distribution, from Somerset to the counties in the Severn Vale.

The foodplant is mistletoe. I've previously only found it in larger apple orchards where this grows in abundance. However this came from one of twenty clumps in a lone willow. It's about 2 miles from another site but this still expands the sort of habitat that could be worth searching. There are lots of limes and poplars in the area that could easily host populations of the moth.

The overwintering site is marked by a small circular entrance hole. The larva lives in a crescent shaped mine. This is expanded into a blotch in the spring though milder weather may prompt some feeding before then.

Very best wishes to you all for Christmas and the New Year

I trapped a Tortricid on 28 October and sent the image to James McGill. He has just told me that Bob Heckford has positively identified it as Acleris umbrana.

James said: 'Some good news - Bob Heckford (who knows the species very well) has confirmed your picture is of Acleris umbrana. It is the first VC5 record since 1937'.

A couple of recent images (from 21 November).

The Scarce Umber is one of few I've seen at mv light. David used to catch large numbers in his portable actinics.

The tortrix is Acleris umbrana. It was extremely nice looking, unfortunately the photo is every bit as ropey. This is a quite a rare species nationally but I suspect it is being under-recorded in south-east Somerset. Please keep an eye out for moths like this with a black basal streak. There are similar forms of Acleris hastiana and I would be happy to examine any specimens.

My thanks to John Langmaid and Bob Heckford for assistance with the identification of this individual.