Those of you who were at the AGM may remember that Phil Sterling mentioned that the index to the new Micro book had had serious criticism. Barry Goater has written a new index and I have been given permission to make this available to Somerset Moth Group members.

If you would like an electronic copy please email me and I will send you the document with instructions for formatting to fit inside the book:

john.bebbingtonfrps@btinternet.com

I wasn't able to trap for GMS until Sunday night. I re-waterproofed all the elctrics and the trap (fortunately). Min.temp 5˚C; 1 December Moth.

For those deliberating over Pine, Grey Pine and Spruce Carpet at this time of year, the link below is quite good.

http://www.hantsmoths.org.uk/species/mothcomp_thera.htm

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 0 degreea

I trapped solely because it was GMS night and was not surprised to get no moths!

No trapping last night, as the forecast was not encouraging. Disturbed an adult Herald in the shed this morning, presumably trying to hibernate. This is the first time I've found one "out of season", and is my first record since April 2011.

NORTON SUB HAMDON

Driving home at dusk last night I saw several moths in my headlights and decided to put the trap out as a result. By 11pm I knew this was a mistake when gale force winds were blowing. I was not surprised to find absolutely nothing in the trap this morning.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 7 degrees and very wet.

Seven moths of five species including a seasonal first (our last was on February 14th) - a Winter Moth.

Being farther East than you Peter, the "wild" weather didn't get here until later on. When I put out the traps, there was however a persistent light drizzle falling (which seems to have continued all night) but very little wind, so I was hopeful that I might catch a few moths. Wrong !!  Only a singleton Black Rustic in the Actinic, and nothing but a few caddises and other flies in the MV. This is by some margin the latest date I have had a Black Rustic here, and I was a bit surprised to see it. Looking at the website "search" it seems that it IS relatively unusual to find them after October, so my surprise was justified.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 9 degrees and very wet.

A warmer and even wilder night produced four moths of three species in the trap including another seasonal first - a December Moth. Our last was on January 1st.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min temp 2 degrees

A wild west wind and no moths in the trap however an actinic light in a sheltered house window produced a first for the season Mottled Umber. (Not FFY as the last we had was on January 5th.)

Second week of the Winter GMS - after a few mild nights I had hoped for a decent catch but in the event there was only one surprise - a very fresh Silver Y as well as 2 Black Rustic, 2 Beaded Chestnut and 2 Setaceous Hebrew Character. Min. temp. was 7˚C.

Only 3 moths in the traps this morning - 2 Setaceous H.C. & 1 Beaded Chestnut, together with half a dozen caddises & craneflies.  However I found an Emmelina monodactyla in the house, and an Agonopterix arenella in the log store, both clearly taking advantage of the slightly warmer days to venture out and about.

Back in 2007 James McGill posted a blog about 0321a Phyllonorycter platani and I found it on the only two Plane trees in Langport. I couldn't find it there in subsequent years but last week I found mines on the smaller of the two trees.

Yesterday I found mines on two trees in the Yeovil hospital car park. I suspect that it probably occurs wherever there are mature Plane trees and it is easier to find mines now that the trees are shedding their leaves.

Plane leaf with P. platani mine

Lower surface of Plane leaf with mine (20mm across)

Upper surface of Plane leaf with mine.

Warmer than of late and a slightly better catch. Red-green Carpet, Common Marbled Carpet, Spruce Carpet, Light-brown Apple Moth and Tachystola acroxantha.

A much better night, Set.Hb Char,Red-line Quaker, Beaded Chestnut, Chestnut, Black Rustic, Feathered Thorn, Light Brown Apple Moth, another mystery micro and FFG Grey Pine Carpet.

Whitefield, Wiveliscombe - Min Temp 9 degrees

With the warmer night we had 10 moths of 7 species in the trap including FFY - a Pine Carpet which we usually get in the autumn.  At an actinic light in a window we had 14 moths of nine species including a Merveille du Jour which seems to be having a late run this year.

Bonanza time !!  6 moths of 4 species - 2 each Feathered Thorns & Beaded Chestnuts and 1 each Green-brindled Crescent & Red-line Quaker.  Quite an improvement on the last few efforts, even if not spectacular.

My two attempts at trapping earlier this month resulted in zero and zilch moths respectively so single Feathered Thorn, Turnip Moth & Yellow-line Quaker in the trap this morning is something of a result.

I also put trap out as was going to be 'warm'.  was rewarded with 6 species, one new for me, Acleris hyemana...a beautiful rusty coloured one (still can't put photos on this so can't show you). ID thanks to Phil Sterling/Richard Lewington

Well, I tried again, expecting a slightly milder night, and it rained on my parade !!  ALL the moths stayed at home this time, and no-one came to see me.  Ho hum.

Thankyou to all who attended the Group AGM, to Committee members for their continued support, and to recorders who continue to send in records, whether electronically or as hard copy.

Especial thanks are due to Dr. Phil Sterling for his excellent and inspiring presentation on his new book - I hope that more Group members will be persuaded to investigate these often beautiful moths. Now we need a micro recorder!

I'm also grateful to Robin Clatworthy for driving Phil to Ruishton and for providing him with lunch, and to Jean Cheesman for taking over the morning refreshment arrangements.

Minutes of the AGM will be sent out soon with the next issue of 'The Nocturnal Record'.

I hadn't registered that there was going to be a frost, so I happily put out the traps.  Only one Feathered Thorn came calling - the others were nicely tucked up in whatever passes for a moth bed. Very wise of them !!

A little better but not much, 13 moths of 9 species, FFY Sprawler and Yellow-line Quaker, 2 very pale Beaded Chestnuts here too.

Another poor night, even though it was (I thought) relatively quite mild. Only 1 Sprawler, on the outside of the Actinic, and one very pale Beaded Chestnut in the MV trap, and only a couple of caddises. Hardly worth the effort.

I put the trap out hopeful of a milder night - a grand total of 5 moths! 1 Set.Heb.Ch, 1 Red-line Quaker, 1 Feathered Thorn, at least FFY, 1 male December Moth and 1 Grey Shoulder-knot.

Norton Sub Hamdon
The last two nights have been surprisingly productive for November. I have recorded 47 macros from a pleasing 16 different species. Last night I had 20 moths of which another 8 were not recorded the night before. The best of these was a Sprawler. It is an unusual moth in my garden and is only the second record in 10 years. Others that hadn't appeared the night before were Brick, Red-green Carpet, Double-striped Pug, Red-line Quaker, November Moth(agg), Spruce Carpet and a tatty and possibly migrant Turnip Moth. The resurgance of Beaded Chestnuts ended when after having 8 the night before I did not record a single one last night. 5 Green Brindled Crescents was also a good record for this garden.
I have just been looking back over last November's postings and was reminded that Johnhad several Gem caterpillars. Did we ever find out what happened to them in the Spring?

After releasing this morning's catch, after dark, I found another Sprawler and a FFY Feathered Thorn in the room where I open my traps - presumably these guys sneaked out when I was looking the other way. They're very quick off the mark. Total therefore now 8 moths of 5 species !!

Norton Sub Hamdon
My first trapping for about a fortnight produced 27 Macros of 8 species. This included my second Cypress Carpet of the Autumn as well as 7 Beaded Chestnuts. The latter species seems to have had a resurgence since I last trapped when in spite of catching 76 Moths I only saw 3 of them.

Another improvement.  This time after a milder (just) night, there were 6 moths in total, of 4 species. 1 Setaceous HC, 1 November agg., 2 Green-brindled Crescents and FFY 2 Sprawlers - only the second record here since 2008. Could have been worse.

Ectoedemia rubivora, a bramble-feeder, has a strange and very local distribution in Somerset, confined to Radstock, Midsomer Norton, and the area immediately to the south, where it is somewhere between common and uncommon.  Why it likes this area in particular I cannot understand, as it turns up in unlikely and unprepossessing locations - the photo below was taken on the verge of the A367 to the south of the White Post pub in Midsomer Norton. 

I had some fun recording leaf-miners this afternoon in and around Asham Wood, with alder proving particularly profitable.  I noticed this particularly dark leaf-mining larva - the mine has many of the properties of Stigmella anomalella but all the information suggests the larva should be yellow, so I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

After a few impossible nights, I tried again.  Result ?  Nothing !!  (Not even a White-shouldered House-moth in the rainwater butts)

As per last issue of 'The Nocturnal Record', our AGM will be on Saturday 10th November at 1030 at Ruishton Village Hall. After the AGM Dr. Phil Sterling, co-author of the new micro moth book, will give a presentation 'Now you have no excuse why you can't do micro-moths'

Latest Unseen..... Where and when is the AGM?!!! Getting very confused... seem to have found a couple of different dates in two different places!

Also last couple of weeks we've not set the trap often but we did get a gem and a delicate, so that was nice :)